Heading For Disaster
by KKLax13
Summary: One meaningless soccer game could change Ryan's life forever...who will be there to help him recover? Rated T just in case. Please read and review, it's my first fan fiction!
1. Chapter 1

Heading for Disaster

Obvious FYI: I don't own anything that even remotely has to do with the O.C.!

"Alright, you've got 30 minutes to get your asses back into gear. So they're pushing you around, push them back, cleanly. We don't need any injuries. Get position. Let the referee handle the calls, you play the ball. I want them beat in the air and first to on the ground. We need to capitalize on the free kicks. Atwood?"

"Yah, Coach?"

"I want you on Stevens for the second half. Ward, I want you on the left side and don't let Jacobs out of your sight. Got it? The rest of you, I better not see any Knight left unmarked. Understand? Now lets go. I don't have to remind you of what's at stake. Hands in. Harbor on three."

"One, two, three!" Luke yelled.

"Harbor!" Answered the team and Coach Dunn.

"Alright, ladies and gentlemen," the voice on the loudspeaker sang loud and clear as the Harbor varsity soccer team was about to take the field. "We are about to begin our second half in tonight's battle of the undefeated. As you can see, the score is still 0-0. Lets hear you, Harbor fans!!" The crowd erupted into a echoing cheer.

Ryan looked up into the stands. They were packed. He could see Sandy and Kirsten at the top of the risers, looking nervous, Kirsten's legs bouncing up and down. Seth was over with Summer and Marissa in the student section. Ryan laughed to himself, never having seen Seth wear face paint for a soccer game before. He would have picked X-Men convention over high school sports.

The ref signaled to the goalies and blew the whistle. It was Tabor Academy's ball to start the second half. The game so far was scoreless, but had been one of the most eventful games Ryan had ever played in. Three yellow cards had already been given to Tabor players and endless set pieces for Harbor had been awarded. The Knights were notorious for playing dirty and won many of their games by rattling the other teams.

Ryan spotted Brett Stevens, number 22 and the only decent player on the Tabor team. Ryan began to backpedal slowly, keeping his mark and the ball in sight.

_Slowly_ Ryan thought to himself. _There he is, watch him, good. There's the pass, where'd it go? Deflected. Back to them, shit! Shit! That's me, that's me _Ryan was even with Brett but managed to get a foot around it and block the pass. It sailed over the midfield and into Tabor territory.

"You little Chino bitch," Brett whispered snidely. Ryan ignored him and pushed the defense up. He would love to catch Brett Stevens offside.

Back and forth the game went, nothing solid happening besides free pieces. Harbor came close once with a piece on the 20 yard line but the kick was tipped by the goalie and blasted down the field by the Tabor back. Luckily the Tabor offense was weak and Ryan was keeping them out of the game.

Ryan was frustrated. He was more than frustrated, he was fucking pissed off. Tabor had no talent but kept Harbor at bay by ruining any momentum. Finally, with 10:33 to go in the game, Coach Dunn took a well needed time out.

"Ok, I know. Settle down. Don't let them get to you."

"But Coach--"

"No, no. Don't say a thing. I know it's unfair but keep playing your game and it'll come. We almost had that goal. Keep focused and finish this thing. Lets go. Harbor on three!"

Luke threw the ball in and sent it down the left lane perfectly in the corner. A perfect cross, but an even better deflection, and another break wasted.

The ball was coming towards Ryan's side now, bouncing on the uneven grass and three people were crowding around it, kicking more shins than ball. Finally it got loose but was sent in the air.

Ryan, Brett, and another Tabor striker went up for the header. As soon as the ball came near him, Ryan knew something was wrong. He could feel elbows on his back and a shoulder near his neck. Ryan jumped as high as he could, trying to thwart off the obviously fouling Tabor players but as soon as the ball came near the boys, a searing pain shot through Ryan's head. The Tabor players had completely missed the ball, instead both colliding with Ryan knocking him to the ground.

The whole stadium was quiet as they saw Ryan falling dazed and confused, right on his back. It seemed like he dropped in slow motion, first the smash on the head and then the unprotected crash onto the hard ground. Ryan lay supine on the field, eyes closed, not moving.

As soon as Ryan went down, the team immediately rushed to his side, only to be shooed away by the referee. Luke started at Brett but was held back by another Harbor player.

"Ryan? Ryan? Can you hear me, son? Open your eyes, Ryan." Coach Dunn was kneeling beside his player, gently shaking his shoulder. Nothing.

Sandy and Kirsten had stood up in the stands, unsure of the damage. Even though they were way up in the crowd, they could feel the seriousness of the situation. Everyone had their hands over their mouths and were whispering to each other, no longer excited. Marissa had tears in her eyes and tried to see the situation.

Coach Dunn stood up and signaled for Sandy and Kirsten who were already making their way down the stands and running onto the field.

"Ryan?" Kirsten yelled with Sandy on her heals. "What happened? Is he ok? Ryan, honey? Ryan talk to me."

"We've called an ambulance. He's been out the whole time," admitted Coach Dunn.

Sandy knelt down beside his son. "Hey, kid. Come on." He could hear the siren in the distance, grateful that help was near.

Just then, Ryan's eyes began to flutter. Everything was out of focus and he could barely make out voices. Were they talking to him? Was that Sandy? What was he doing here?

"Ryan? Ryan can you hear me?" Sandy repeated over and over. The more times he heard it, the clearer everything became. The first real sensation Ryan felt was uncontrollable pain in his head and back. He tried to roll over to his side but was taken aback when he found he couldn't muster the strength to turn his body. Was that all it was? Was he too weak to move to the side? He began to panic when he tried again unsuccessfully to move his legs.

The paramedics had arrived on scene and Kirsten and Sandy moved out of the way as they ran with their gear.

"What's his name?" One paramedic asked.

"Ryan. Ryan Atwood. He's 16," Kirsten replied quickly, tears streaming down her face.

"Ryan? Ryan can you look at me? My name's John. I'm going to help you out, buddy. Look at me, Ryan."

Ryan turned his head in the general direction, having trouble focusing on John. The other paramedic started to take vital signs.

"Ryan can you squeeze my fingers?" John tickled the inside of Ryan's left palm. A pause and nothing happened. "Come on, Ryan you can do it." Pressure on John's hand. "That's it, good! Now this hand." John moved to the right side as his partner had finished with the vitals and was scribbling on a piece of paper and moved to get the neck brace off the gurney. Again, slight pressure from Ryan on John's hand. "That's great! You're doing great, Ry. Now can you wiggle your toes?" Nothing happened. Ryan was trying so hard to at least get some message to his feet. "You can do it, Ryan. Come on." Panic again.

"Can't," he slurred out.

"Yes you can. Come on."

"Can't move legs," Ryan slurred and began to tear and everyone around him held their breath, Sandy pulling his wife into a hug.

"Ok, Ryan hold on. My partner Sam is going to put a neck brace on, ok?" John waited a minute before talking again. "Can you feel this, Ryan?" John pinched the soccer cleat hard.

"A little," Ryan admitted, glad that he could offer something.

"How about here?" John pinched the calf of Ryan's right leg.

Ryan nodded as best he could with the neck brace on.

"So you can feel it a little, just not move it?" John concluded and again the scared teenager nodded slightly. "Ok, just hold tight, buddy."

In a few minutes John and Sam had Ryan strapped in on the backboard and fully immobile and were lifting him into the ambulance.

"Please! Please can I ride with him? I'm his mother. Is he going to be ok?" Kirsten was hysterical.

"Yes, ma'am. You can come but you need to come quickly we've got to get him to the hospital fast." Kirsten jumped into the back and barely heard Sandy yell that he would grab Seth and meet them at the hospital.

Sandy turned around to run back to the stands and find Seth and head for the parking lot. He didn't have to look far as the teenager was running towards his father.

"Dad! Dad what happened? Is he ok? What's wrong?!" Seth was frantic.

Sandy and Seth began to run towards the BMW. Once they were speeding out of the school, Seth asked again.

"Dad! Tell me! What they fuck is happening?!"

"He's in and out of consciousness and he couldn't move his legs, Seth. He can feel them, just not…not move them."

Seth began to cry.

"What?! What does that mean? Is he paralyzed? Dad?"

"I don't know, Seth. I don't know."


	2. Chapter 2

Heading For Disaster

Obvious FYI: I don't own anything that even remotely has to do with the O.C.!

--Thank you for your reviews! I really appreciate it!

Although the ride to the hospital was brief, it was the scariest eight minutes of Kirsten's life. She listened as best she could to the paramedics' communication with the hospital, gathering that Ryan's injuries were bad. She held his limp fingers which were all that weren't tightly strapped to the gurney. Thin ice packs were all around Ryan's torso and back and John quickly explained that the cold along with the IV methylprednisone would try to control the swelling on Ryan's spinal cord before any more damage could be done. After what seemed like forever, they finally arrived at HOAG.

"Talk to me! The kid from the soccer game?" One doctor yelled as he and some nurses ran towards the paramedics as they were rushing Ryan into the ER.

"Yup. Ryan Atwood, 16. Full spinal precautions, went out again in route. Pupils are sluggish, limited reaction with sternal rub. BP's 118/70, pulse 65, temperature 100.2. Bleeding on left temple is slowing, but needs stitches. No other signs of trauma," John rattled off the list.

"He had feeling earlier?" Dr. Michaels recalled the dispatch as he and the other doctors and nurses prepared Ryan.

"That's right, but no movement from waist down," John confirmed quietly.

After several attempts to wake him, seventeen stitches, and a few more minutes worth of poking and prodding, Ryan was carefully lifted onto the x-ray machine, full skull and spine series ordered. When the films were developed, Dr. Michaels clipped them up to the light board and consulted with his colleagues.

"Cervical looks good," Dr. Michaels began.

" There! See it? Looks like T4/T5…" another doctor chimed in, pointing to obvious fractures and slight dislocation of the fourth and fifth thoracic vertebrae. Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Lumbar's ok," a resident added.

"Skull looks ok…" Dr. Michaels concluded, running his finger down the pictures. "Jenna, how'd we do for reflexes?" he turned to one of the nurses.

"He's responding to scraping on both feet. Slow, but defiantly there." Jenna promptly reported.

"Doctor, Imaging is ready for you now!" another nurse addressed the crowd. Ryan was being wheeled across the hall by two orderlies. He was still unconscious and an angry bruise was starting to form on the left side of his head.

"Ryan? Ryan, come on, sweetie. You've got to wake up ," a young nurse in Diagnostic Imaging tried again to rouse the teenager before he was sent in the machine.

"Let's leave it," Dr. Michaels said. "It's better he doesn't move. Ok, people, let's go!" Dr. Michaels joined a small crowd in the viewing room to read the CT's as they appeared on the screen.

The first CT confirmed everyone's fears—there was prominent swelling in Ryan's spinal cord around the place where the fractures were. An MRI wasn't even needed for confirmation. The slight dislocations were impinging on the spinal cord and compressing the spinal column causing the swelling. On the screen, it didn't appear that the spinal cord was severed which would account for Ryan's reflexes, but immediate surgery to repair the bones would be the only option for a positive prognosis.

Looking at the various slices of the head CT films, the doctors could also tell that there was some swelling in Ryan's left temporal lobe.

"Mark, take a look at this," Dr. Michaels nudged his colleague and pointed to a slight gray patch on one picture. "Borderline. Too small?"

"Lets get him into surgery now for the spinal fusion. We'll repeat the head CT after and decide then. OR 1's waiting for us. Jennings and Holmes are scrubbing in," Dr. Mark Mitchowski conferred. The swelling in Ryan's brain was most likely not enough for surgery. The goal was to get to Ryan's spine within the hour if any hope was to be satisfied.

"Kirsten?" Kirsten looked up to see Sandy and Seth running down the hall. She dabbed her eyes with the Kleenex the nurse gave her and stood up to hug her husband and son.

"Nothing yet," Kirsten mumbled before Sandy even asked.

"Did they say anything? What's going on?" Seth began to panic again.

"He passed out again in the ambulance. He's still got reflexes but they said his spinal cord is swelling and oh, Sandy what if…" she couldn't say it, but she didn't have to. Sandy could read her mind as he hugged his wife and son close.

The three of them waited impatiently for news on Ryan. Finally, a man in scrubs jogged into the waiting room.

"Who's here for Ryan Atwood?" Came Dr. Mitchowski's deep voice.

"We are. I'm Sandy Cohen and this is my wife Kirsten and our son Seth," Sandy hastily stood up, almost knocking his chair over with anticipation.

"I'm Dr. Mitchowski. Cohen you said? Are you Mr. Atwood's legal guardians?"

"Yes, we're his foster family. Please. Is he ok?" Kirsten gasped, fear creeping inside her.

"He's about to go into surgery, but I wanted to give you a quick update. We've taken some pictures and Ryan has two breaks in his back. These bones are also slightly displaced which is putting pressure on his spinal cord and causing swelling in the spinal column. We're taking him upstairs to fuse the two vertebrae and insert screws to hold the bones. Our goal is to open as much space as possible to allow the swelling to subside. We've given him steroids to decrease the inflammation as well. As for his head injury, he was still unconscious when I came out here but his responses are getting much better," Dr. Mitchowski paused briefly. "Now he does have a grade 3 concussion and there is some swelling around his brain, but we are going to try and let the body absorb the fluid itself before we discuss doing so operatively. I'm sorry to rush this, but I need to get back in there. A nurse will give you the correct forms to fill out and please just hand them back in when you are finished. Do you have any questions?"

About a million things were running through Kirsten's mind now, but she decided to ask the most pressing worry.

"What about his reflexes? They said in the ambulance that he still had them?" he hoped that was a true statement.

"They are still present which is why we can't delay the surgery. Our hope is that when the swelling goes down he will eventually regain movement, as he had feeling and reflexes before." Dr. Mitchowski's name was paged and he turned to the Cohens. "That's my call. We should be done in around three hours. He's strong, and kids always recover better than adults. He's got a lot going for him. I'll be back later. Excuse me." With that, Dr. Mitchowski jogged back through the door.

Seth looked at his parents. Sandy was white and Kirsten had begun to cry again. What was happening? How was it possible that three hours ago Ryan was obsessing about his team's undefeated record, and now he might not ever play soccer again, let alone walk. Seth began to tear and his father put his arm around him. The seriousness of the situation finally setting in. They just had to wait and see.


	3. Chapter 3

Heading For Disaster Chapter 3

Obvious FYI: I don't own anything that even remotely has to do with the O.C.!

--Thank you for the reviews! I really appreciate it!

By the time Ryan was in surgery, the soccer game was over back at school. There was still no score at the end of regulation, but both teams couldn't care less about the tie. The health of one of the best players in the league was the main concern now.

Any enthusiasm that the Harbor crowd had was now deflated and numerous attempts by concerned students, parents, and friends to get a hold of either Sandy, Kirsten, or Seth were failed. Seth didn't even answer Summer's call. He was too stunned to hear his phone ring.

As soon as they could, the Harbor soccer team arrived at HOAG, Luke in the lead with Summer and Marissa not far behind.

"Seth?" Luke spotted the family in the waiting room.

"Luke, what are you guys doing here?" Seth looked around to see 15 of Ryan's teammates still in their uniforms and Summer with her arm around a silent Marissa.

"We came to see how he is…you know. What's going on? The rumors are already starting to fly." Luke admitted.

"We don't really know too much yet…um, he's got a pretty bad concussion and his spinal cord is swelling. He's in surgery to fix the bones he broke in his back." Seth figured that pretty much summed up the situation.

"But is he, you know…" Luke couldn't believe how hard it was to admit that Ryan might be paralyzed. He felt as though it was taboo, if he didn't say it then it wouldn't come true.

"They said he has reflexes or whatever. The surgery is going to help the swelling go down and then I think they can see from there. I don't know." The more Seth spoke the worse he felt. He could feel tears welling up in his eyes. When was the last time he cried so much?

The team, Coach Dunn, Summer, and Marissa sat with the Cohens for three and a half hours. In that time, Kirsten had taken to pacing back and forth around the small cluster of chairs they had inhabited. Sandy had risen from his chair and was standing by the window, as if he could see some sort of beacon of light outside, a blessing reaching down towards his family. Seth had his head in his hands with Summer rubbing his back. Marissa sat away from the group, a few chairs separating her from the rest. Her distance was not unnoticed but was of little concern, her attitude secondary to the current events.

It had only been a few months, but Ryan's presence was as natural as if he'd been a Cohen all his life. If there ever was any doubt, the disbelief was shattered with the night's trauma; the fear and concern they all felt for Ryan was unanimous. Collectively, never had so many silent prayers flooded the waiting room.

Finally, after Seth's counting of three hours and forty-two minutes, Dr. Mitchowski once again appeared from the infamous 'Medical Personnel Only' door followed by another, more young-looking doctor.

"Mr. and Mrs. Cohen?" Dr. Mitchowski called, spying Sandy and Kirsten in the same spot he left them in. He smiled at the group that had come for Ryan. The more support the kid had, the better.

Kirsten did an about-face upon hearing her name and Sandy's head snapped around so fast he almost fell over. Seth jumped from his chair, practically knocking Summer over.

"Why don't we step over here?" Dr. Mitchowski prompted the parents away from the rest. Seth followed expectantly.

"How is he?" Kirsten asked as soon as they were out of earshot from everyone else.

"He did very well in the surgery and he's in recovery now. Before we continue let me introduce my colleague Dr. Roosevelt Holmes," Dr. Mitchowski pointed to the man beside him.

"Nice to meet you all. I helped on Ryan's surgery," Dr. Holmes quickly explained.

"Like I said, the operation went very well and we were able to accomplish everything we wanted. We fused the vertebrae together and inserted some additional screws to hold the broken pieces together. His spine is now re-aligned with a rod and his post-op x-rays look great," Dr. Mitchowski paused.

Sandy was on edge. Did this mean what he thought? 'The x-rays look great' does that mean… He didn't dare say it, not venturing to jinx anything. He was clueless and helpless.

Dr. Holmes continued the differential.

"The pressure in his spinal column was already subsiding when we closed the surgery. We got to the problem quickly and that so far has made all the difference."

"So, what does that mean? How is he doing?" Kirsten was having as much trouble as Sandy piecing together the situation.

Dr. Mitchowski sighed. "Ryan is sedated right now. It is imperative that he stay still as any false movement could do damage. We repeated his head CT to check on the swelling in his brain and as we hoped, his body is reabsorbing the fluid. Right now, it is in Ryan's best interest to risk sedation with a head injury. His responses are much better and the neurological indicators signal that his brain is recovering well."

"So is he paralyzed?" Seth blurted out, unable to control himself.

"Seth," Sandy put his hand on his son's knee.

"Ryan still has reflexes in his lower body. Once the swelling on his spinal cord goes down, we will be able to assess the situation further. Make no mistake, this is still a serious injury, however his prognosis is on the positive side," Dr. Holmes continued.

"So will he walk again?" No one bothered to silence Seth again.

"Lets put it this way, from our view at this very moment, I wouldn't bet against it, but he still has a long way to go," Dr. Mitchowski finished.

"Can we see him?" Kirsten asked, hoping to comfort her boy as best she could. But what would she say? She was secretly glad that Ryan wouldn't be able to respond to her. How could she relay all the information to him? Did he even remember what happened?

"He's still in recovery now, but will be moved up to intensive care shortly. Why don't you head up to the ICU waiting room and a nurse will call you when he is ready. But, his, uh, fan club over there," Dr. Mitchowski smiled and nodded his head towards the anxiously-awaiting support group across the room, "they won't be able to see him. Not yet at least."

"Thank you, Doctors," Sandy shook their hands.

"Of course. I'll be visiting Ryan shortly after he is moved, so I'll see you upstairs." Dr. Mitchowski replied as he and Dr. Holmes once again vanished through the door.

As soon as they left, everyone else came running towards the Cohens.

"What did they say?"

"Is he ok?"

"Where is he?"

All the questions seemed to come at once.

"He's being moved to ICU shortly. They told us to go wait up there," Seth replied flatly.

"How did everything go? What did they say?" Luke repeated.

Seeing Seth's inability to speak, Sandy answered, "They said the surgery went as well as can be expected. They have him sedated so he won't move and disturb any healing. Once the swelling goes down they'll be able to assess some more. We just have to be thankful that they got to him as early as they did."

"Can we see him?" Summer asked, already assuming the negative answer.

"The doctor said that only Sandy, Seth, and I can go and see him in a bit," Kirsten finally got her brain and mouth working together again. "Why don't you all go home and get some rest. You won't be able to see Ryan for a while. Thank you all so much for coming and waiting with us."

The team looked hurt, but understood.

"Tell him we said hello, and that we'll be back as soon as we can," Luke turned to Seth who nodded in reply.

Coach Dunn hugged Kirsten and shook Sandy's hand. "Keep us updated," he said as he left.

When the nurse called for the Cohens to come see Ryan, the fear in Sandy's stomach had tightened his chest so much that he could hardly breathe. The nurse lead them down the short hallway into room 204, the name _Atwood, R._ plastered to the wall making the situation seem all the more real.

Kirsten gasped when she saw her son. He was so pale, which made the bruises and the stitches stand out that much more. His neck was in a hard brace, as was his back, and he was lying completely flat on the bed. She was afraid to touch him.

Sandy surveyed Ryan. The doctor's words were replaying in his head, 'it is imperative that he stay still.' It seemed as though that even if he wanted to, Ryan wouldn't be able to move with all the plastic on him.

Seth was devastated. What face paint he didn't already wash off in the sink was running down his cheek with his tears. He saw his brother, helpless, lying stiff in a hospital bed. How was Ryan going to get past this? How could he, Seth, help him?

As the Cohens were visiting, more like staring at, Ryan, the other visitors were leaving. The team slowly filed out, looking grim. Numerous phone calls from concerned friends and even parents were answered as best as possible, no one really knowing anything solid until Ryan woke up.

Summer turned around, expecting Marissa to be at her side. But to Summer's amazement, her best friend was no where in sight.

"Hey Luke!" Summer ran to catch up to him. "Did you see Marissa? Where'd she go?"

"Uh, yah, actually, now that you mention it. I saw her leave when the doctors were talking to the Cohens. She didn't say anything to you? I assumed she talked to you…" Luke trailed off, now as suspicious as Summer.

"No, she didn't…" Summer responded, now pissed off.

Where had Coop gone? Why would she leave her boyfriend when clearly he needed all the support he could get? Summer tried calling Marissa but got no answer. What was going on?


	4. Chapter 4

Heading For Disaster Chapter 4

Obvious FYI: I don't own anything that even remotely has to do with the O.C.!

--Thank you for the reviews! I really appreciate it!

-------------

Ryan was kept sedated for the rest of that Friday night and all of Saturday. By Sunday morning, the doctors deemed the swelling on his spinal cord low enough to lift his sedation, provided that he continue to stay still on his own accord.

"We're going to gradually let him come out of the coma, but until he is completely aware of his surroundings, we're going to put some soft restraints on him just in case he has movement," Dr. Mitchowski explained.

"What about his head injury?" Kirsten asked. She had left Ryan's side only once and that was to go home and shower while Sandy took over as watchman. "Will he remember the accident?" The thought of Ryan waking up in a hospital, panicking again at his inability to move was terrifying even for her.

"There is a possibility, yes, that he won't remember the accident, but we're hoping that since his images look great and his responses are as good as can be expected, he will quickly recall the situation. Now, as you can imagine, this ordeal is going to be frightening for Ryan," Dr. Mitchowski sat down as he spoke to Kirsten and Sandy. "The first thing he's going to try to do is move, and you need to keep him calm. If he sees you scared, it's going to multiply ten fold for him."

"But what do we tell him? I mean, there really isn't anything conclusive until he wakes up, right?" Sandy recalled the prognosis.

"That's right. As soon as you notice a change, please call a nurse who will page me. Just keep positive. Alright, I'm going to begin to lift the sedation now. We should start to see some signs of arousal in about a half an hour." Dr. Mitchowski fiddled with one of the IV's and smiled as he excused himself from the room.

-------------

"Hey, Summer," Seth dejectedly answered his cell phone, seeing the caller ID.

"Geeze, Cohen. Nice to talk to you, too," Summer said without thinking. Of course he was upset, his brother was unconscious in the hospital.

"Sorry. I'm just thinking about Ryan. What's up?"

"Are you going to the hospital today?"

"Yah, I was just about to go over. Mom and Dad made me finish this stupid science project before I visited. I think the doctors are lifting the sedation today, maybe even as we speak."

"Oh that's great! Then we'll, well, _know, _right?" How else could she say it?

"I guess so. So what's up, Summer. I'm sorry, but I can tell you didn't just call out of the blue like this to talk." Seth felt bad accusing her of anything, but he could tell in her voice that there was something more than just a quick check up.

"Uh, yah. Sorry. Have you, uh, have you talked to Marissa lately? She left the hospital early and hasn't returned my phone calls. Did she say anything to you?"

"Like what, Summer? About how her boyfriend is in the hospital, possibly never walking again?" Seth's voice was dripping of sarcasm but he didn't care. He just wanted to get the project done as fast as possible and hurry over to HOAG. Nothing else needed his attention. "I haven't heard anything from her. Look, I'm sorry, but I've gotta go, ok? I'll talk to you later. Thanks for calling." He hung up.

Seth knew he'd regret that conversation later, but he didn't care. But Summer's words did make him think. He prayed to God for what felt like the millionth time that weekend, this one hoping that Marissa get over whatever she was obsessing about and be ready to help Ryan. Boy would he need it. He might not want it, but he would need it and he was going to get it.

-----------

Just as Dr. Mitchowski predicted, Ryan's face and fingers began to twitch within twenty minutes of lifting the sedation. Kirsten had been just staring into space, a mixture of worry and exhaustion clouding her mind and Ryan's slight movements made her jump.

Sandy noticed the change as well, and as instructed, he pushed the nurse's call button. Ryan was restrained on both wrists and both ankles, and he was wearing a brace on his neck and one on his back. He was still lying completely flat. Even if he wanted to, Ryan wasn't going anywhere.

A nurse quickly answered the call and walked to the head of the bed to look at her patient. She paged Dr. Mitchowski before taking Ryan's temperature and spoke softly to the Cohens as they waited.

"He'll be opening his eyes soon. Just be patient, I'm sure—" her statement was cut short by the boisterous entrance of Seth.

"What did I miss? Anything happen? I can't believe you made be finish the project. I'll never look at Beryllium the same. It's a stupid element if you ask me, really it—" Seth began to ramble but was cut off by his mother.

"Seth. Seth, honey sit down. The medication is wearing off and Ryan's starting to wake up. You need to be really quiet, ok?" Kirsten put her hand on Seth's lap. Seth immediately calmed down and nodded, looking expectantly at his brother.

Dr. Mitchowski had entered the room by the time Ryan's eyes began to bat open. The neurologist was pleased with the pupil responses the boy was showing.

"Ryan?" The doctor began upon seeing clarity in his patient's eyes. "Ryan can you look at me?" Dr. Mitchowski was careful not to stand too far away or too much to the side. He wanted to be in Ryan's direct line of vision.

Slowly things started to come into focus for Ryan. What was taking him so long to wake up? Clearly he'd been asleep for a while. What time was it? Ryan blinked many times. Something wasn't right, not at all. He didn't recognize the voice calling his name. The noise came again and Ryan listened as closely as possible, trying to call upon some recognition.

"Ryan. You're in the hospital, Ryan. You're at HOAG. Can you look over here for me?"

Hospital? What the…

"Ryan, honey. It's Kirsten. You're doing great, sweetie."

Kirsten! She was here, too…

"Hey, kid. It's Sandy. Good to see you again."

Sandy was here…

"Yah, I'm here, too. Of course. I'd pick you over science projects any day." Seth shot a look at his parents.

That voice didn't need a name. Obviously it was Seth's. But what was going on? Hospital?

Ryan tried to move toward the voices. The Cohens were doing their best to be right in front of him, but they were still too far. Ryan panicked again when he could move only his eyes. His neck was restricted somehow and turning his torso seemed just as unlikely. Maybe he could gather some momentum with his legs…or not.

Then it all came flooding back.

Soccer…head ball…blood…hard ground…darkness…blurry vision…LEGS! AMBULANCE! PAIN! _Shit! _It was real!

The nurse noticed an increase in Ryan's heartbeat and saw him began to sweat.

"Ok, Ryan. It's ok. You had an accident, just stay calm," the nurse smoothed his hair.

"Honey. We're right here and we aren't going anywhere," Kirsten grabbed Ryan's hand.

"Ryan. I'm Dr. Mitchowski. We've been taking great care of you and your parents have been here the whole time. Can you look at me?"

Somehow Ryan felt the need to trust the guy. Something in his voice gave him confidence.

"You've got a neck brace on, Ryan. That's why you can't move your head. You've gotta use your words now, ok? Do you remember the accident?" The doctor continued.

"Yes," Ryan whispered, tears forming again in his eyes. Dr. Mitchowski did a few more neuro checks before continuing.

Kirsten didn't know what to think. At least they didn't have to repeat the situation again to Ryan. But she wished she knew what was going through his mind.

"Ok, Ryan. You've been sedated for a few days which allowed your spinal cord to begin to heal. Can you squeeze my hand?"

Ryan complied, good pressure from both hands.

"Good job. Now I want you to tell me when you feel me touching your foot, ok?"

Ryan nodded and was able to feel most of Dr. Mitchowski's pinches and was able to detect the direction his foot was moved in. The sensations were faint, but defiantly present.

Moving was the hard part.

Try as he might, Ryan could only muster enough force to wiggle his left toes and the big toe on his right foot. He didn't know what to think. Was this good? Bad? What the hell was happening?

"Ryan, you're doing great. Your spinal cord was not severed, and the lack of movement is caused by the swelling in your spinal column. Our hope is that once the swelling goes down a bit more, you'll be transferred to a rehab facility to work on your recovery." Dr. Mitchowski paused, carefully studying Ryan's face for his reaction. Sandy put his hand on Ryan's when the teen began to cry again.

"Recovery? Am I…" he couldn't say it. "Am I paralyzed?!"

"It looks like the paralysis will be only temporary, but you will have to work hard on your recovery. This still a serious injury, but you are lucky, Ryan. It's all relative," the doctor stated truthfully. "It could have been much worse."

Worse? What the fuck could be worse than this? Staring at the ceiling, not able to move? What could possibly top this?

-------------

Marissa listened to Summer's voicemail for the tenth time, still not able to call her back.

"_Marissa, it's me. I'm your best friend, so I need to shake you out of whatever you're doing. Why aren't you returning my calls? Why did you walk out on Ryan? He's your boyfriend, Coop, and he's hurt bad. You're being selfish now. You can't turn your back on him now or he'll never forgive you. Don't you get that? Call me back."_

Summer was the one didn't get it. She, Marissa, would do anything to be there now with Ryan, but she couldn't. Ryan wouldn't want to see her. Not after what she said. Marissa couldn't help but play their last conversation over and over in her mind.

~Flashback~

"_Ryan you're being so insensitive! How could you say that? You know we need to talk about it. Just stop thinking about the game and talk to me!"_

"_Marissa. Not now. Please. I don't even remember what we're fighting about, but I'm sorry for whatever I did, ok? We're undefeated, so are they. There's only a few games left in the season and this is the biggest one so far. Scouts will be here, ok? I can't think of anything else."_

"_Soccer? Really? You're choosing sports over your girlfriend. You actually are such a typical guy, Ryan. It's a meaningless game. You'll play, two hours later you'll be back here, nothing will have changed. Your life will be exactly the same, Ryan! Your life including what you said earlier!"_

"_Please, can we just talk about this later? Tonight, I promise. I'll come over and we'll work it out, just please not now."_

"_Fine. Think about your stupid game. I'm coming tonight, but not to see you. I told Luke I'd go because he's my friend. I'm not going to see my boyfriend."_

_With that, Marissa stormed out of the pool house leaving Ryan confused as ever. _

Marissa was dying to know how he was doing, but she couldn't gather the courage to go see for herself. What good was she now?


	5. Chapter 5

Heading For Disaster Chapter 5

Obvious FYI: I don't own anything that even remotely has to do with the O.C.!

--Thank you for the reviews! I really appreciate it!

-------------

Upon hearing the news of his lengthy and unclear recovery, Ryan shut himself out from the world for the rest of Sunday and most of Monday. He had a feeding tube because he couldn't sit up to eat and he could feel the catheter bag down near his knees. Helplessness was not something Ryan was used to, that went without saying.

Although Ryan wouldn't talk to anyone, save briefly answering the doctors' questions, he felt it comforting to have someone sitting with him. Kirsten was by Ryan's side Monday night, watching him rest while she read a magazine.

"Hey, Ry, wake up, man," Seth yelled at his brother as he walked in. The restraints were taken off the day before and although Ryan still wore the braces on his neck and back, the bed had been raised just a little. Ryan still couldn't move his head but at least he could see more than previously.

Annoyed at being awaken, Ryan gave Seth a glare.

"You have a visitor, Ryan," Seth smirked. That got Ryan's attention. He raised his eyebrow. "Actually, it's more like a few visitors," Seth continued, trying to conceal his pride.

To Ryan's amazement, in walked the Harbor soccer team, one at a time. The Cohens had convinced the doctors that each player could walk in, say a quick hi, and walk out. Seth was unsure of how Ryan would receive seeing his friends. It was inevitable that they would at some point have to talk, but given how Ryan was reacting to his family, Seth was nervous.

Luckily, Seth saw the first smile from Ryan that he'd had since recent events. Ryan bumped fists with everyone and accepted their positive comments gratefully. Seth was beaming as he watched from the corner of the room with his mother's arm around him.

Coach Dunn even came in. He patted Ryan on the shoulder and Ryan slowly reached up to shake his hand. The coach was surprised at the strong grip the boy had.

"Get better soon, son," Coach Dunn said. Ryan smiled back.

Luke brought up the rear, carrying a soccer ball that the team signed. That made Ryan laugh. How many TV shows and movies had he seen where the team brings the game ball in to the injured person's hospital room?

"What?" Luke laughed, showing mock insult. "You don't like our thoughtful gesture?"

Ryan rolled his eyes at Luke and mumbled something incoherent.

Luke put the ball on the night stand, making sure that Ryan could read all the names on it.

"So, how ya doing, man?" Luke asked tentatively, trying not to look at Ryan's braces or IV's, and just focus on his friend's face.

Ryan closed his eyes a second and let out a sarcastic laugh.

"They said I was lucky. That it could have been worse. It's shit. I should be out there with you guys tonight. You should go, you don't need to be my pity party. Aren't you going to be late for the game anyways?"

Luke looked hurt, but understood.

"Naw, man, we won't be late. Besides, Coach is with us, what is he going to do? But me on the other hand, I think I'm going to get kicked out by the doctor. And listen, man. We're not your pity party. We're here for you. I know it sounds stupid and you being all Chino macho and everything probably won't get it, but you're my friend and I hate to see you like this, so just, just get better, ok?"

Ryan didn't know what to think. He truly believed Luke, and it was good to hear what he said. Nodding in response, Ryan stuck out his hand and accepted Luke's manly half hug.

"I'll be back soon, man. Take care." Luke left after saying goodbye to Kirsten and Seth.

-------------

Sandy was working late and was asked by Ryan to go to the soccer game. When he arrived at the stadium, everyone clapped, making Sandy feel uncomfortable. After all, Ryan was the one injured and needing the support. Sandy stayed for the first half and it was clear that the game was going to be a blowout. The other team was weak and Harbor was fired up, playing with Ryan in mind. Everyone in the crowd had questions for Sandy, and while he appreciated their concern, all he wanted to do was see his son.

Sandy went to the hospital to report the news of the game, but he found Ryan asleep with Seth by his side. Kirsten was talking to the doctor outside the room and Sandy went to join them.

"Hi, Mr. Cohen," Dr. Mitchowski said, turning to include Sandy in the conversation. "I was just telling your wife our plans for Ryan's rehab. Now, as Ryan has an incomplete spinal cord injury, his recovery will take a little less time than that of a complete patient. But before he leaves HOAG for a rehab facility, we want him to be sitting up and eating on his own. Of course we will be monitoring the healing of the spinal cord and bones as well."

"Where will he go for rehab?" Kirsten asked, not knowing of any acute care physical therapy places in Orange County.

"There is one in Stanford and one in San Diego that I'd recommend. Both are very good, but obviously San Diego is much closer. The choice is yours, and I can give you some more information about the two," the doctor answered.

"He has to go to San Diego. We won't be able to visit him often way up in Stanford. He needs our support," Kirsten quickly demanded.

Dr. Mitchowski smiled.

"I was thinking you were going to say that. Ryan is lucky, many people in his situation lose contact with loved ones. It is sad to say so, but there are people out there who can't deal with the change. There are support groups for families if you feel you want to attend. I want to discuss this thoroughly with Ryan but I don't want to wake him. He's in a lot of pain and it's better he rest. Tomorrow we'll all talk."

"Thank you so much, Dr. Mitchowski," Sandy shook his hand, so glad that they had such a great doctor.

-------------

The next day, as promised, Dr. Mitchowski entered the room to talk to Ryan, Kirsten, and Sandy about Fisher Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation Hospital in San Diego. The doctors first described the game plan.

"Ryan," Dr. Mitchowski began, pulling up Ryan's most recent x-rays. These films took Ryan by surprise, never having seen a spine with screws in it. The thought made him shiver. "Here is where your injury occurred, between these two vertebrae." He pointed to the light board. "These are the fourth and fifth thoracic vertebrae, referred to as T4/T5. Now, someone with a spinal cord injury at this site has full use of neck, shoulder, arm, and hand muscles as well as those needed to breathe. However in addition to loss of mobility in the lower extremities, a patient with this injury has very limited trunk movement and almost no control over abdominal muscles. But your goal, Ryan, with an incomplete injury is to have full flexion and extension range in your core, and of course, we want you to walk out of the hospital. The physical and occupational therapists will go into much greater detail about this. Your x-rays show good re-alignment which is the first step to healing. Soon you will be transferred to a rehab facility that can target you specifically." Dr. Mitchowski handed them pamphlets. "This is Fisher Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation Hospital. It's in San Diego, so not too far from here. Take a look at it and tell me what you think." After a few more encouraging words, the doctor left saying he'd be back in an hour.

-------------

That afternoon, Seth walked through the halls of school to his locker. He was hurrying to get his stuff together so he could go see Ryan in the hospital. As he was putting his books in his backpack, he was close enough to hear a group of girls and guys from the grade below him gossiping.

"…Atwood, yah, you know, the ghetto kid from Chino," one of them was saying.

"Oh, _that_ kid? Oh my God, no way!" a girl started to laugh.

"Yah, I heard he's a quadriplegic now and he can't breathe on his own. He's got brain damage, too!" a third kid added and everyone laughed.

"Let's see who's so tough now. Someone said it was in a soccer game that he got hurt? It was probably one of his gang members who shot him or something." Laughter again.

Seth couldn't take it anymore. Just as Summer was coming to meet him, Seth slammed his locker so hard that it swung open again, its hinge bent. That got everyone's attention.

"Who the _fuck _are you talking about Ryan like that?!" Seth was livid.

"Seth—" Summer moved towards him, taking his arm.

"Ryan did _not _get shot by a gang member, do you even hear yourselves? He broke his back in Friday's soccer game and he is recovering at HOAG and he _will _get better. He is not on a ventilator and he is _not_ the invalid you make him out to be, so don't you little fuckers _dare _talk about my brother like that_ ever _again." Seth was right in their faces now. Harbor was a small enough school for everyone to have a reputation, and nowhere did it say that Seth Cohen would have the balls to stand up to, well, anyone, let alone five people. Everyone was taken by surprise at the outburst including Summer and even Seth himself.

"Sorry, man," someone whispered.

"Whatever, lets go," they mumbled.

"Cohen? Are you ok?" Summer gave Seth a hug. "I've never seen you like that…I didn't know you had all those swears in your vocabulary," she laughed and playfully punched him. "I want you on my side next time I'm in a fight, ok?"

Seth couldn't help but smile. "That _was_ rather cool, huh? Wait till I tell Ryan about that one," Seth said without thinking.

"Uh, Cohen…maybe we should hold off on that, you know," Summer was completely right.

"Figures. The one time I do something Ryan-worthy I can't tell him about it. I should have got that on video or something. Wow that made my day," Seth laughed with Summer and it felt good.


	6. Chapter 6

Heading For Disaster Chapter 6

Obvious FYI: I don't own anything that even remotely has to do with the O.C.!

--Thank you for the reviews! I really appreciate it!

-------------

By Thursday, Ryan's bed was raised almost fully, but to his dismay, the first time he sat up, Ryan passed out. According to Dr. Mitchowski, that was an almost expected reaction after staying completely still and horizontal for six days. According to Ryan, that was not ok.

Seth, however took this as new material. Everyone had been looking forward to the "Rising of Ryan," as Seth appropriately named it, and Seth pushed the fainting as far as he could.

"I know, Ry. It's so incredible to actually see my whole body. I think I would faint, too," Seth snickered as he walked closer towards his brother. At least in this state Ryan couldn't punch him.

"Shut up, Seth," Ryan glared but felt the urge to laugh. He was better today. He could now move both feet and his feeling was getting stronger.

Friday was an even bigger day for Ryan. The doctors finally decided that Ryan was ready to sit in a wheelchair. Sandy, Seth, and Kirsten were present Friday afternoon when Dr. Mitchowski, a nurse, and a physical therapist came in to work on transfers.

The bed was lowered even with the wheelchair which was being secured by a nurse who had a smooth, wooden board in her hands that she held out for Ryan to slide onto and transfer to the wheelchair.

"You'll only have to use the board for a little while, just until you get used to the motions," the nurse smiled upon seeing Ryan's mortified face. He closed his eyes and groaned.

"Ryan I want you to try to move your butt onto the board first," the physical therapist explained, as he held it steady for Ryan.

Dr. Mitchowski was right. Ryan's injury left him with a great impairment of trunk control and to Ryan's great annoyance, he began to list forward as he tried to scoot to his right. The doctor caught him before he could fall any farther and he held Ryan's shoulders in place.

Ryan let out a frustrated grunt as he tried to pretty much shimmy his way across the bed as sweat was began to wet his forehead. By the time he even reached the board, he was out of breath. The physical therapist helped him up and shifted his hips as he slid toward the wheelchair. Dr. Mitchowski was still holding Ryan's shoulders back and a nurse was controlling Ryan's legs.

The Cohens were standing in the corner, not wanting to get in the way, but were watching intently for future reference. Sandy couldn't help but feel bad for Ryan as he saw the aggravation and humiliation in the kid's face. This was going to be a long recovery, both emotionally and physically.

Ryan finally reached the end of the board and now had to position himself on the seat of the chair. His arms were still rather weak from the accident and he had temporarily lost some of his gross motor skills in his upper body. His arms moved too slow for his liking. The physical therapist literally took him under the armpits and adjusted him into the wheelchair as Dr. Mitchowski arranged Ryan's feet and the nurse removed the board.

Ryan's abdominal weakness was to be compensated by having a seatbelt in the wheelchair fasten around his navel. Once that was finally in place, Ryan was sitting up in his wheelchair, lightheaded, and almost in tears at the frustration of the ordeal.

After briefly pushing Ryan around the unit, the team regained their positions to help Ryan back into bed in the same fashion. By the time he was sitting back in the bed, he was exhausted and fell asleep.

-------------

On Saturday afternoon, a van was going to come and take Ryan to Fisher Rehab, much to Ryan's embarrassment, but it was hospital policy for arranged transportation. Everyone promised to be there, Seth, Kirsten, Sandy, and even Summer and Luke who had decorations in mind. Ryan wouldn't let anyone else come, but he had to wonder about Marissa. It had been over a week since their fight and his hospitalization, yet she hadn't come to visit him. She wouldn't talk to Seth, Summer, or Luke and she sulked for the past week. Ryan began to think that Marissa was embarrassed and he never mentioned her. Why would she want a cripple for a boyfriend? Of course she wouldn't come visit, what good was he to her? She was probably still mad about their fight. This made Ryan feel even worse as he wondered what was going through her mind. He decided that he didn't want to see her if she couldn't accept him.

After arriving at Fisher with his entourage, Ryan felt a annoying sense of uneasiness. He decided that it was nerves, embarrassment, and self-disappointment and nothing more, but he couldn't help but notice a few unfriendly faces in the East Wing of the rehab facility.

After he was checked in, a nurse showed him down the hall and helped him get settled into the room saying that his roommate would be in later. She began to talk to Kirsten and Sandy as Seth, Summer, and Luke set up everything they brought.

Summer had made a collage of pictures from the past couple of months of his friends and pictures of the beach. Seth of course had to add his own school picture. Luke brought the soccer team picture and signed soccer ball and Summer arranged everything on a bulletin board. Kirsten had brought all the flowers and balloons from Ryan's hospital room at HOAG and pretty soon, Ryan's side of the room was flooded with decorations. Ryan was embarrassed, but secretly happy to have reminders of his old life, no matter how cliché.

Soon after the doctor was done talking to everyone, Ryan's roommate entered the room, surprised at all the visitors. He pushed himself right up to the crowd and introduced himself.

"Hi, it's nice to meet you. I'm Jackson Turner, Ryan's roommate," he stuck out his hand to Sandy who shook it, impressed.

"We're Ryan's family. I'm Sandy Cohen and this is my wife Kirsten and my son Seth," Sandy replied as he pointed towards his family. They greeted Jackson as well.

Summer right away made her way over to Jackson and introduced herself and Luke as Ryan's friends. Jackson laughed as he saw their pictures on the bulletin board.

"You guys look good up there," he nodded towards the wall and everyone laughed. The kids talked a bit more about the collage, but when Jackson asked about the picture of Marissa, everyone looked at Ryan.

"Who's that one over there? She's pretty," Jackson pointed to a picture of Marissa and Ryan on the corner of the board.

"Someone I used to know," Ryan said quickly. That was his truth. He used to know Marissa Cooper as his girlfriend…now he wasn't sure. Seth made a mental note to bang down Marissa's door when they got back to Newport.

The company finally left and Jackson and Ryan got to talking. He could tell that Ryan was uneasy.

"Look, man," Jackson started after he got himself into bed with no help at all. "You must have gotten some looks from people here."

"Uh, yah I guess. It's no big deal," Ryan was curious. How did he know?

"Look, they aren't bad guys it's just," he paused, as if deciding the best way to phrase his statement. "We all heard about you. I know you can't walk now, but you will. And well, they, we, won't." Jackson broke eye contact. "They're just jealous, I guess."

"Of me?" Ryan couldn't imagine why anyone would want to be in his situation.

"Are you kidding? They want you to walk out of here. You get to be back how you were! I'm sure they told you that it could have been worse, and it clearly could have. In two months they're trying to give you a full recovery. Where will we be then? One step closer to acceptance, not a cure," Jackson said softly. Ryan was quiet for a minute.

"I never thought of it like that. I'm sorry." Ryan couldn't look at his roommate.

"Don't be sorry, Ryan. Feel lucky. I'm happy for you, and they will be, too. Don't worry, I got your back," he said with a smirk as Ryan lifted his eyebrows. "Joke. I know your back's broken."

Ryan smiled. It was getting late and Ryan wanted to take a nap before dinner, but before he could sleep, he actually had to get into bed. He knew he was supposed to call the nurse, but that was not exactly Ryan's style. He tried to maneuver the wheelchair close enough to the bed, something he still wasn't great at, and attempted to lift himself onto the bed. Jackson looked over at him, amused as he could tell that clearly Ryan had no idea what he was doing.

"Dude, you should totally call Gloria. Obviously you suck at being paralyzed," he joked.

"I'm fine," Ryan was far from it but of course wouldn't ask for help.

"Ryan," Jackson said seriously which made Ryan listen. "You're not the type to ask for help, are you?" Ryan didn't deny it. "That's gotta change, man. You just need to get used to it. It'll get better."

"I know. I know," Ryan sighed and pushed the nurses' call button.


	7. Chapter 7

Heading For Disaster Chapter 7

Obvious FYI: I don't own anything that even remotely has to do with the O.C.!

--Thank you for the reviews! I really appreciate it!

-------------

The ride from San Diego back to Newport was a silent one for the Cohens. The three of them drove back in the BMW while Luke rode with Summer behind them. Kirsten was mentally trying to plan her schedule so she could visit Ryan as much as possible and Sandy was trying to remember his court dates for the next couple of months. Seth was contemplating all the ways to shake some sense into Marissa. Gathering that he'd probably be arrested for most of them, he decided to bypass calling her and find her right at home. As soon as the BMW into the driveway, Seth went next door after a brief heads up to his parents.

Seth rang the doorbell and Julie Cooper answered.

"Yah, hi, I'm here to see Marissa," Seth quickly said as he tried to walk right through the door.

"She doesn't want to talk. I'll tell her you came by." that was a lie. Julie had no idea why Marissa was cooped up in her room when her boyfriend was in the hospital.

"She's expecting me. I just got off the phone with her," Seth was never good at lying and he hoped his fib would fake the Newpsie. He was right.

"Oh, well—" Seth didn't wait for Julie to finish, he just ran right into Marissa's room, finding her curled up on her bed looking at pictures.

"Marissa!" he screamed, taking the album from her hands.

"Seth what are you doing here?" she stood up in disbelief.

"I'm here for my health. What do you think I'm doing here?! How can you be so selfish? You haven't seen or talked to Ryan in over a week. You've avoided me at school when I try to talk to you about it. What the _fuck_ is going on?"

"Seth, I—" Marissa started but Seth cut her off.

"No. Just let me finish. He needs everyone he can now. This is not the time to shut him out! He's not doing well! He cries every day! He needs you, Marissa and what have you been doing? So he's in a wheelchair, suck it up! How can that make a difference to you? He told his roommate he didn't know you when he saw a picture of you today. Do you get that? Why are you doing this?" Seth was pacing around the room now, not even looking at his target.

"Seth, it's not what you think," she said softly.

"Then what is it, Marissa? What is keeping you away from your boyfriend who is clearly having the toughest time of his life, and that's saying something."

"We got in a fight, ok? We fought right before the game. I told him," she looked away. "I said that we needed to talk but he wanted to get ready for the game and I, I said it was a stupid game and that nothing would happen. I told him I was going to see Luke and not him at the game," she finished, looking ashamed. Seth didn't know what to say.

"So you've been pouting this whole time?"

"I, no…I just didn't want to make it worse, or get in the way, you know…"

"No. I don't know. Marissa—" he was interrupted by Summer who barged right in.

"Ok, Coop, you've got explaining to do. Oh, Seth," Summer stopped her tirade. "Did you, uh…"

"Yah, I did. They got in a fight. That's what this is about. She 'doesn't want to make it worse,'" Seth air quoted Marissa. He knew he was being mean, but he couldn't take it.

"Coop, a fight? You can't go make it up to him? He's not going to forgive you any more if you wait than if you talk to him now. You left the hospital! You left, Coop, before you even knew how he was. How—" before she could finish, she was interrupted as the door was swung open again.

"Marissa! You better have a really good answer because I just walked right into your house and your mom gave me another one of those looks!" Luke barged right in on the group. "Oh, uh, hi, guys," he finished abruptly.

"What is this?" Marissa slammed the door. "First Seth comes then you, Summer and now you, Luke? Did you guys plan this?!"

"Naw, but I wish we did that would be kinda cool," Seth forgot his anger for a minute until Summer punched him.

"Look, Coop," Summer took her friend by the shoulders and sat her on the bed. "You want to make it up to him? Go see him! He's in San Diego at a rehab place and he needs all the encouragement he can get."

"What did you say to him, Marissa?" Luke was still mad. The accident made Luke feel closer to Ryan, and Marissa had made the situation worse.

"We got in a fight! I know, I'm an idiot! He wouldn't want to see me. I can't go. He has too much to think about, he can't have me begging for forgiveness," she finished, looking at the ground.

The other three were staring at her.

"Marissa, you need to help him. If you don't go now, he's not going to let you back in. Ryan's not doing so well, and you should probably get on that. He was right. I don't know you." Seth turned towards the door and looked at Summer and Luke. "Talk some sense into her. I can't take it any longer."

Marissa watched him walk out and she dared a look at Summer who shrugged sadly.

"He's right, Coop. I'm going to go visit some time this week and you better come with me. Just give Ryan a call tonight and let him know you're thinking of him. I'm going to go, see ya, Luke," Summer left quietly.

"He's not doing too good, as you can expect. He's depressed and scared. A girlfriend needs to help that. You wanted him and you've gotta take everything that comes with it. I'll see you Monday," Luke walked out of the room leaving Marissa stunned.

-------------

Ryan was surprised at how rigorous his daily schedule was despite his limitations. He had physical therapists and occupational therapists and he was assigned a psychiatrist. Multiple doctors checked on him as well and to Ryan's embarrassment, they all brought students. He had both therapies twice a day and had to meet with the psychiatrist every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

His fist day of therapy was with the occupational therapist Jessica. She came to get Ryan from his room early Monday morning and she helped him down the hall to the "gym" as she called it. Jackson teased Ryan as he was leaving.

"Oh I'm so proud of you! My big boy off to his first day of therapy. Have fun, honey!" Jackson was already in his wheelchair and was heading to the room next door to visit.

Ryan glared at Jackson but couldn't help but laugh and neither could Jessica.

"Goodbye, Jackson," she said rolling her eyes.

"See ya at 2, Jess," and he pushed out the door.

-------------

Ryan was stunned at how hard occupational therapy was. His grip strength was next to nothing according to dynamometer, and that made Ryan very angry. He spent the whole hour and a half doing hand exercises and practicing steering his wheelchair. Ryan felt patronized when he was asked to hit a balloon back to the therapist, but when he tried it, he found how difficult it was to move his arm accurately. His impaired trunk function left him unbalanced and it was even harder when he had to change his center of gravity to hit the object.

Physical therapy was later that day and Ryan felt worse than in occupational therapy. Since Ryan was still working on his arm and abdominal strength, he had issues pushing himself from a laying down position to sitting up without help or moving the bed. One PT, Bruce, came to Ryan's room and showed him how to pull himself up using loops attached to the bed rails. It was a struggle even to sit up. After he was returned to his bed from another trip to the "gym," Ryan began to cry. Jackson was at his scheduled meeting with the psychiatrist and Ryan was left alone with his thoughts. He'd been there for two days and he was trying to plot his escape. He quickly brushed the tears from his eyes as he collected himself to go to his first appointment with the psychiatrist. The day kept getting better and better.

-------------

Ryan and Jackson were back in the room before dinner. Ryan was going to try to make it to the cafeteria that night, something he hadn't done since the accident and he was looking forward to the challenge. Tyler, Jackson's friend from down the hall, was visiting and Ryan was enjoying his company. Jackson was right, the guys would get better. Ryan secretly thought it was because they saw how much trouble he was having with simple things, and that he really wasn't any different from them, but Jackson assured him otherwise.

The three stopped talking when they heard a loud voice down the hall. It seemed as though the woman was angry and was looking for someone and she was trying every room to find him.

"Ma'am, please, just listen to me. Who are you trying to find? Please calm down and let us help you," a nurse was literally holding the woman's arm. As the lady got closer, Ryan felt numb. Any feeling he had left him.

"Where is he? Where is my son? Why is he here? He's not one of them," the crazy lady was yelling. She finally came into Ryan's room and stared at him. Her eyes went first to the wheelchair and the seatbelt, the soft back brace, his slightly hypertonic hands, and then to Ryan's limp, atrophied legs.

Ryan couldn't believe his eyes.

"Mom."


	8. Chapter 8

Heading For Disaster Chapter 8

Obvious FYI: I don't own anything that even remotely has to do with the O.C.!

--Thank you for the reviews! I really appreciate it!

-------------

"Mom," Ryan repeated. "What are you doing here?" he stole a look at Tyler and Jackson who were thoroughly confused.

"Sandy called me this morning. A soccer game? How could you be such an idiot?" She looked at the other two teenagers with disgust. "Father of the Year said you'd get better. So lets go. You don't need to be here." She walked closer to Ryan who tensed up.

Jackson and Tyler just stared at the scene, not knowing what to do. Dawn was blocking any hope of an exit and a nurse was trying to open the door that Dawn had slammed and locked with a chair. She didn't need anyone stopping her.

"I said lets go! Get up." As she neared Ryan, he could smell the alcohol on her breath, most likely multiple seven and sevens. "Now! You don't need to be here with _them._ No son of mine is a cripple. Why are your fingers kinda curled like that? Straighten them out, you look like a retard. I'm taking you back to Chino where you belong. You stay with the Cohens a few months and look at you." She sized him up again, noticing how thin he'd gotten.

Ryan didn't know what to do. Normally he'd walk away or fight back, but he was helpless now. The nurse finally wriggled the door open, causing the chair to crash to the ground. She walked in just in time to see Dawn unbuckle Ryan's seatbelt and attempt to make him stand up. Of course Ryan fell forwards and couldn't get his slow arms back in time to steady himself.

The nurse ran to Ryan and helped him back up. Two orderlies followed the nurse and forcefully removed Dawn from the room.

"You really are one of them. You can't even sit up! No son of mine is a cripple!" she yelled as she was being shoved out the door.

The nurse shooed Jackson and Tyler from the room as she adjusted Ryan.

"Are you alright, Ryan?" the nurse asked as she surveyed him for any injuries.

"Fine," he replied, tears again forming in his eyes. "Just leave me alone!"

He allowed the nurse to help him into bed and then didn't speak to her again. She left quietly to report the incident and call the Cohens. Walking down the hall she could hear whispers between the boys who had heard the commotion and left their rooms. Feeling terrible for Ryan, she picked up the phone.

--------------

"Ryan?" Kirsten came running into the room two hours later, finding her son pretending to be asleep. "Ryan, honey are you ok? The nurse called me. I'm so sorry, honey." She sat on the bed and stroked Ryan's hair. She turned as Sandy and Seth walked in and saw them close the door.

Ryan didn't respond, but Kirsten knew he was listening. Sandy sat on the other side of the bed and talked softly to Ryan.

"Kid, I was going to tell you tonight that I talked to Dawn about the accident, I'm sorry. She seemed concerned. Can you look at me?" he gently shook Ryan's shoulder.

Ryan opened his eyes at the Cohens, and it made Kirsten's heart melt when she saw the sadness in his eyes. Sandy put the bed up even more so that Ryan's sightline was even with his family. Seth took the chair next to the bed and patted Ryan's hand awkwardly.

"Are you hurt?" Kirsten asked again softly as she looked him up and down, just as the nurse did, looking for injuries. Ryan shook his head and it was clear he was on the verge of tears.

"Kid," Sandy took Ryan's hand. "Look at me. It's not your fault." Sandy could see something in Ryan's face that looked like guilt. That demeanor was present every time he mentioned his life in Chino, as if his own misfortunes were somehow always a direct result of his wrongdoing. "It's not your fault. It's not your fault," he repeated over and over.

The tears began to fall, slowly at first, but it wasn't until Kirsten pulled him into a hug that Ryan began to sob. It was his first real, honest breakdown since the accident, or even ever for that matter. He couldn't hold it together any longer, and eleven days worth of frustration, depression, anger, and embarrassment were released. All Kirsten could do was rub his back as they hugged each other, but that was all that Ryan needed. He needed a mother, and he got one.

-------------

When Jackson returned, Ryan was asleep but woke up to his roommate's noise. Before Jackson could even say anything, Ryan told him he'd tell the story later then fell back asleep.

Ryan was awoken the next morning by Bruce who took him down the hall to the "gym" with the goal in mind of tackling transfers. With the help of another PT, Ryan began to get the hang of it, and by his second physical therapy session of the day on Thursday, he managed to successfully get himself from the wheelchair to the bed and back as well as the wheelchair to the toilet and back. The latter Ryan was especially happy about because even though he had to sit down to pee, the doctors were going to remove the catheter later in the week.

Thursday night Ryan was going to the cafeteria. Monday obviously didn't work out and Tuesday and Wednesday he stayed in his room again as he was still brooding and too embarrassed to see anyone. Jackson and Ryan went down to dinner at 6pm and joined their friends at the table.

Ryan never thought he'd be so happy to use a knife and fork. He was sick of liquid meals. It took him a while to eat his dinner, but nevertheless, he was satisfied.

-------------

After dinner, Jackson and Ryan were heading back to their room before going next door to Tyler and Adam's room to hang out for a bit before the nurses kicked them out. As Ryan slowly entered his doorway, he stopped, surprised at what he saw. Jackson noticed Ryan's change in demeanor and quickly mumbled that he'd see Ryan in a bit. Ryan pushed into the room.

"What are you doing here, Marissa?" he shot her a look of betrayal and surprise.

"I, uh, I came to visit…you know. I…oh, Ryan I'm so sorry!" she began to burst into tears and she made her way over to him. She half expected him to take her back and give her a big hug and tell her everything was fine, but she quickly understood that was not the case as he turned away from her.

"Where have you been, Marissa?"

"I didn't want to make it worse! I know I was selfish, I didn't think you wanted to see me after what I said and then things got busy with school and everything and—"

"Your life got busy? That's your answer?" he glared and then continued. "Do you want to know what my life has been like these past two weeks?"

"Ryan I—"

"When I was at HOAG, I was laying on my back, completely flat for six days. I'd wake up, lay there, then go to sleep and when I finally sat up a week later, I passed out. I'd see more doctors each day than you'll see in your lifetime. You know what else? I can't hold myself up. You see this seatbelt? I fall forward if I'm not strapped in like a fucking three year old. I just learned yesterday how to get myself from my wheelchair to the bed. I have a tube in my dick, Marissa. I can't even go to the bathroom yet. I have seven therapists and a psychiatrist who wants to talk about how I'm 'dealing with my injury.' I'm a fucking cripple, Marissa, and you're complaining about what's going on at school? Is that what's important? Because what happened to 'I'll always be there for you'?"

"I'm so sorry." Was all she could respond.

"I needed you and you were gone! You call yourself my girlfriend? I need you to stay! Chair or no chair." he looked so hurt that she felt as though anything she said wouldn't make a difference.

"Of course I will stay! It's not the wheelchair that bothers me! I shouldn't have said what I said and I should have come to see you sooner. You are always on my mind, but I was too chicken to do anything about it. I came today to ask for your forgiveness and to give you these." She held out a bag.

Ryan slowly took the bag from her, and was surprised to find some clothes that he left at her house. One was a trademark wife beater and the other was a photo T-shirt from the carnival. Ryan had reluctantly agreed to getting their picture printed on over sized T-shirts and he purposely left his in her room that night so he could say he lost it and never have to wear it. Busted. He pulled out the shirt and snorted as he rolled his eyes.

"I wore mine to bed last night," Marissa said, walking towards him again. This time he didn't retreat but gave her a quizzical look. "You don't have to wear it! I just wanted to remind you of that night…it was our first kiss, you know." She sat in the chair next to him.

"I know," Ryan replied, putting his hand in hers.

"I really am sorry," she paused and looked around. "You know…this could kinda work. I'd be your nurse and you'd be my naughty patient…" she raised her eyebrows.

"Don't push it," he replied smirking. Marissa kissed him on the cheek and he didn't pull away.

Summer and Seth appeared from around the corner.

"Finally!" Seth threw up his hands, exasperated. "You two take forever to make up!"

Ryan laughed. "Nice plan, guys. Too bad I could see you popping your head in and out of the doorway, Seth."

"I told you, Cohen!" Summer playfully slapped Seth.

The nurse was about to walk into the room carrying Ryan's medications, but she stopped when she saw the four friends talking animatedly. It was good to see Ryan happy. She'd come back later.


	9. Chapter 9

Heading For Disaster Chapter 9

Obvious FYI: I don't own anything that even remotely has to do with the O.C.!

--Thank you for the reviews! I really appreciate it!

-------------

Ryan progressed well over the next week in both physical therapy and occupational therapy. His finger dexterity was pretty much normal, as he didn't have much to regain, and his arm and hand strength was getting better. The feeling in his lower body was increasing and soon they would have him stand up, something that Ryan couldn't wait for.

Until today, Ryan would transfer from the wheelchair onto the PT table and another therapist Kathy would support him from behind while Bruce would stretch Ryan's legs and use weights. He had done endless ab and back exercises and his core was becoming much stronger. This afternoon, however, Ryan was going to stand up.

Tyler, Adam, and two other boys Ryan had come to know were all in PT at the same time as Ryan while Jackson was in OT and the five turned to their friend to watch his progress.

Kathy was holding Ryan's shoulders and the safety harness as he sat on the table, and Kim the PT student was right behind Ryan with his wheelchair. Bruce was sitting on a stool and had his legs interlocked with Ryan's shins.

"Ok, Ryan," Bruce began. "Kathy is going to support you from the side and I've got a tight hold on you. You won't go anywhere, ok? Just like we've been practicing, push through those heals. You ready, buddy?"

Ryan nodded. "Just do it."

"Ok, on three. One…two…three." As Bruce counted off, Kathy lifted Ryan who immediately began to wobble. Bruce's legs were tight around Ryan and his balance was quickly corrected. Kathy was supporting the teen as well.

Even though he was hardly doing any work, it felt incredible to Ryan to be standing. He was taller than he'd ever been and wasn't even embarrassed when he let out a small laugh of disbelief. He no longer had to look upwards; he could see over things now and what a view it was. He even noticed that Bruce was balding a little on the top of his head. Maybe that's why he worked in spinal cord rehab…his patients were in wheelchairs and couldn't see his hair loss.

"You're doing great, Ryan!" Kathy exclaimed. She smiled at the applause he was receiving from his friends and the other therapists.

He was only up for a matter of seconds, but Bruce and Kathy could both feel Ryan begin to totter. They set him down slowly to regroup.

"I did it!" Ryan's smile was huge. He never thought standing up would be such a big deal. He couldn't wait to walk.

"You're doing great, Ryan. How are you feeling?" Kathy asked him as she rubbed his back.

"Everything's kinda tingling, but it's fine. Can we go again?" Ryan replied eagerly.

"We're going five times, kiddo. Just take a time out and get ready for round two," Bruce smiled at his patient. The therapist had worked with many incomplete SCI patients, but Ryan was by far his most driven. Ryan had a rough start, but physically he was improving greatly.

The rest of the session included the leg press and some more stretching. By the time Bruce and Kim the student walked Ryan back to his room, Ryan was even more exhausted than he'd been after playing his hardest soccer game. But he felt good.

-------------

As soon as he got back to his room, Ryan called Seth's cell phone. It was a little after two in the afternoon, but Ryan knew Seth would be getting out of school within a few minutes. He waited eagerly as the phone rang, not being able to contain his excitement to tell him the good news.

"Ryan?" a girls voice answered the phone. Ryan looked at his cell phone to make sure he dialed the right number.

"Uh, Marissa? What are you doing with Seth's cell phone?" Ryan was confused.

"He asked me to pick it up. We're in the lobby and his phone was on the table. How, how are you doing?" she was hesitant to ask.

"Fine. Where's Seth?" Marissa was not going to ruin this for him.

"Hold on, I'll get him. Are you sure you're ok, Ryan? We haven't really talked and you didn't answer my call last night…" she was nervous.

"I got busy, you know," he said with a hint of sarcasm in his voice. Luckily, Seth had gathered his things and ripped the phone from a stunned Marissa's ear.

"Ryan? Is that you?" Seth had briefly overheard the conversation.

"Yah, hey. Guess what? I stood up today! They were practically holding me, but I stood up! It was cool as shit. You wouldn't even believe." Ryan was so excited.

"That's great, man! How do you feel now?" Seth released a breath that he'd been holding for the past three weeks.

"Sore. Really sore actually. It sucks to have sensation when all you feel is pain…but it was totally worth it." Ryan was smiling as he was sitting in his bed.

"Seriously, bro, that's awesome. But listen, I've gotta go, but I'll talk to you tonight, ok? I'll tell mom and dad. They're going to go crazy." Seth could picture his parents' reactions when they found out that Ryan stood up.

"Alright, talk to you later. Peace." Ryan shut his phone and sighed contently. He closed his eyes and was asleep within seconds.

-------------

"Hey, Seth?" Marissa grabbed Seth by the arm as soon as he hung up the phone.

Seth turned to her but didn't say anything. Marissa took this as a sign to continue talking.

"How did Ryan sound on the phone? Was everything ok?" She bit her lip.

"Yah, I asked him yesterday to call me. I just wanted to say hi." Seth lied.

"Ok, well, ever since we went to see him, he's been acting kinda strange. Do you think he's actually forgiven me?" she'd been thinking that for the past week. Seth just shrugged in reply.

"Come on, Seth. He seemed ok at the hospital!"

"He probably just had his morphine then, Marissa," Seth said coolly.

"What's that supposed to mean?" She stopped walking.

"Marissa, you hurt him bad. He was at his lowest point and he needed you around, and you were gone. That's a lot to bounce back from." Seth still wasn't sure how he felt about Marissa's absence.

"He'll never forgive me." She had tears in her eyes.

"Look, Marissa," Seth was tired of this. Ryan hadn't mentioned her in the past five days and Seth wished he wasn't so far away so he could visit him every day. "Just, I don't know. Just keep telling him you're there for him. Earn his trust back, don't keep apologizing because that'll just remind him what you're sorry for. Ok?" Seth turned back around. "Look, I've gotta go."

Before he could continue, Marissa cut him off.

"I can help. I've been thinking about this for a while. What are you doing Sunday?" Marissa had an excited look in her eyes.

-------------

Sunday came around and Ryan was looking forward to a day off. Sunday meant no PT, no OT, no psychiatrist, no support meetings, no scheduled recreation, no planned doctors' visits. Nothing. He was going to sleep in and then play basketball with his friends on the outdoor court. Sunday was going to be a great day. The Cohens had visited yesterday as well as Jackson's parents and twin brother Lee. The Turners lived even farther north than Newport and it was hard for them to visit as often as they'd like. It was turning out to be a great weekend.

It was past eleven when Ryan was awaken.

"Wake up, Cripple. Let's go," Seth joked as he hit Ryan.

"Yah, come on, Atwood. Get your lazy ass out of bed," Luke went over to the dresser and got Ryan some clothes.

"What the hell?" Ryan opened one eye. "What are you doing here? Let me sleep."

"No way, my friend. You're coming with us. Here," Luke threw some shorts and a t-shirt at Ryan.

"What?" Ryan still didn't get it. He was half asleep.

"Road trip," was all Seth replied. "Get dressed."

Ryan was more awake now and he looked over at Jackson who was sitting in his bed and smiling.

"You knew about this?" Ryan said in disbelief.

"Sorry, buddy. I'm a good liar. So I've heard," he smiled at Luke and Seth.

"And how do you propose we leave? Don't you think it's a little noticeable?" Ryan hoped that the boys had everything planned out because he desperately wanted a break from Fisher.

"Don't worry about that one, Ryan. I've got ya!" Jackson laughed.

"That's my boy!" Seth yelled and air-fived Jackson.

Ryan was unsure of the idea. He wanted so desperately to rest, but on the other hand, he longed to leave the hospital and see the sun, water, and his friends.

"Where are we going?" Ryan said after giving in to the latter option and dressing.

"Just follow us," Luke said, holding Ryan's wheelchair for him.

The three boys left the room after saying goodbye to Jackson. When they got to the parking lot, Ryan froze. He hadn't mastered car transfers, actually, he never even tried before. The trip to Fisher from HOAG was in a van with an automatic lift. Ryan looked at Luke's truck. Seth and Luke saw Ryan's confused look and laughed.

"Come on, Atwood," Luke said. Ryan wheeled up to the front door and Luke lifted from the inside while Seth lifted from the outside. Finally, Ryan was inside the cab and his wheelchair thrown in the bed by Luke.

It felt so good to Ryan to feel the wind in his hair, and Seth and Luke noticed Ryan's genuine smile. Luke drove all the way to Newport and pulled up to the Crab Shack. Ryan was happy to be out of Fisher, but suddenly felt nervous about the O.C. community seeing him in his wheelchair.

"Relax, bro. I promise you they won't care," Seth sensed Ryan's uneasiness.

Ryan finally made it into his wheelchair, but found it difficult to navigate his way through the gravel parking lot. When they finally made it to the restaurant, a surprise party was waiting for him.

"Surprise!" everyone yelled as they all came over to him. Pretty much everyone he knew was there, and even Julie Cooper with Kirsten and Sandy and other adults in the community. Ryan was embarrassed at first when he saw so many people. But when they approached him with no judgment, he felt more accepted than he ever had in Newport.

"Ryan!" Kirsten ran over to her son. "I'm so glad the doctors let you out! I'm glad Luke and Seth talked them into it. I wanted to call myself but they said they'd handle it. I'm so excited that you were cleared to leave for the day!" Kirsten patted him on the shoulder. Ryan wondered how she could be so oblivious.

"Yah…the doctors encouraged it. You know, getting back into life…" Ryan tried to find someone else to talk to before the plan got busted. Luckily, Ryan's boss came running up to him.

"Ryan! How are you? You look good! How are you feeling?" he asked, so happy to see the kid.

"Better, thanks," Ryan answered truthfully.

"We're all waiting for you to come back."

"Seriously?" this took Ryan by surprise. "You know it's going to be a while."

"We'll wait as long as we have to," he said with a smile. "Now if you excuse me, I have to go yell at your replacement." The boss ran away and started scolding the waiter.

Everyone was so happy to see Ryan, and he looked better than anyone expected. By three in the afternoon, most people had left, but Ryan and his close friends went down to the beach. Marissa got him a sand wheelchair so he could join everyone near the water. Ryan was having the best time in a long, long while.

About an hour later, however, Ryan's right ankle began to twitch, followed by his left quad and he could soon feel his back pulsing. Ever since his PT and OT had been getting more strenuous, Ryan was prone to muscle spasms, and of course, he didn't take his medication with him.

Ryan got Seth's attention and Seth guessed the problem by the look on his brother's face. Luke came over to see the two talking.

"What's up?" Luke looked at Ryan and was taken aback at the pain easily visible on Ryan's face. "Let's go back, man. I didn't realize how late it was," Luke apologized.

"It's alright," Ryan said half heartedly.

"Guy's, were going to take Ryan back now," Seth addressed the group.

"Oh, Chino! Can't you stay?" Summer asked. She didn't notice Ryan trying hard to hide the spasms.

"I wish, but I don't know how good of a job Jackson's doing holding off the cavalry," Ryan replied. That much was true.

"Alright, I'll push you back," Marissa hopped off the log she was sitting on and helped Ryan to the parking lot where Luke was waiting with Ryan's wheelchair. "You'll be ok? You look tired," she continued.

"Yah, it's been a long week. Seth said this was all your idea?" Ryan was curious.

"It was. Did you have fun?"

He nodded. "Thanks. I needed this." Ryan smiled.

"I'll talk to you tonight," Marissa said as Ryan was about to leave. He nodded again.

Seth and Luke got Ryan back into the truck. Ryan's legs and torso were twitching badly by the time the boys arrived back in San Diego. Luke and Seth tried to keep Ryan talking the whole time to take his mind off the pain. Ryan looked at his phone as they were getting off the highway and saw three missed calls from Jackson but he was too tired to listen to the voicemails. When they got to the Fisher parking lot, Ryan looked at his friends.

"Look, guys. Thanks a lot. You don't know how much I needed that. This is my best day in a long time," he said smiling.

"Of course, little brother." Seth nudged Ryan.

"You'll be out in no time. We'll do it again soon," Luke finished.

The boys just got Ryan into his wheelchair when Dr. Cox met them at the door.

Busted.

*Thanks to jassylou for the comment about Ryan standing*


	10. Chapter 10

Heading For Disaster Chapter 10

Obvious FYI: I don't own anything that even remotely has to do with the O.C.!

--Thank you for the reviews! I really appreciate it!

-------------

Seth couldn't help but snicker when he saw Dr. Cox standing in the doorway, his hands on his hips and scowling. Luke took Seth by the arm and they slowly walked backwards. They didn't get very far when the doctor yelled after them.

"I've already called your parents, so don't even think about making up a lie!"

"Shit," Seth muttered to Luke. At least they'd have two hours on the way home to think of a rebuttal.

Once they were on the road, the boys laughed loudly.

"What do you think they're going to do to Ryan?" Luke shook his head in sarcastic disbelief.

"I don't know…how can you really punish a para in a hospital? 'I demand you don't walk for a month,'" Seth joked.

"They can't really ground him either," Luke figured. "Maybe they'd make him do endless hours of arts and crafts. He hates those stupid OT games," Luke laughed picturing Ryan do nonstop Ages 2+ puzzles.

"Well, man," Seth said sighing and leaning back against the cloth passenger seat. "At least I'm spending my last two hours of life laughing. My parents are going to kill me."

"Yah. Sorry, man. But you're dead. Nice knowing you. Sorry I was a dick to you for, well, ever. Can I have your comics collection?" Luke joked.

"Shut up! I'm glad you take pleasure in my ill fate. And no, my comics are being buried with me." Seth turned and looked out the window, seriously regretting returning to Newport.

-------------

As Ryan wheeled through the automatic doors, he could see Jackson around the corner who was holding his hands up and was mouthing something Ryan couldn't understand. Jackson was dramatically pointing at his cell phone and Ryan stifled a laugh with great difficulty.

"Ryan. I think you know what I am about to say to you. Lets go to your room. I know they entire wing is looking forward to eavesdropping on this conversation," the doctor's voice was serious, but Ryan could see a hint of amusement in the man's eyes.

When they finally got to Ryan's room, Dr. Cox shut the door and sat on the bed while Ryan turned his wheelchair to face him.

"Dr. Cox, please. Before you start yelling, can I take my medication? I didn't bring it and—"

"I was about to give it to you. The twitching seems to have gotten worse and you look like you are in a lot of pain, son," the doctor sympathized. Ryan nodded in appreciation.

"Yah but it was totally worth it," Ryan mumbled, hoping the doctor didn't hear.

When the medicine began to work, Ryan visibly relaxed, but tensed right back up when he looked at the doctor.

"I'm sure I don't have to explain to you the seriousness of this situation. By the time the staff and I found out about this little stunt, you had already been missing for five hours. We called your parents as soon as possible and they said that you were on your way back here. Now your roommate—"

"Please don't get Jackson in trouble. It wasn't his idea. My friend and brother came and got me this morning and we drove, well, we drove back to Newport and there was a surprise party and I swear I didn't know about it and we lost track of time and—" Ryan was now interrupted by Dr. Cox.

"I've already had my words with Mr. Turner and everyone else involved." The doctor's words made Ryan feel good in a way. How many people had worked together to keep him out of trouble?

"Ryan. The angry doctor in me says that you could have set back your recovery. I hope you understand how lucky you are to have made the progress you have, and you should not gamble that. If we felt you could leave, you'd be released. You still have a lot of work to do and I can see you're still in pain. However, the understanding 43-year old in me respects the importance of being outside with your friends and returning to your normal life as much as possible." Dr. Cox paused.

Ryan was surprised. Dr. Cox didn't exactly have the best bedside manner and the 'understanding 43-year old' comment caught him off guard.

"But," Dr. Cox continued. Here it comes. "This cannot go unpunished, Ryan. What you did was wrong on many accounts, and I'm sure you will hear it from the rest of the staff as well as your parents. I have talked to Sandy and Kirsten and they wanted me to take your cell phone for two weeks until they talked to you further. As the hospital's punishment, Ryan, you are banned from recreational activities for a week and Lizbet the cafeteria lady jumped at the opportunity to have you clean tonight's dinner trays," Dr. Cox couldn't help but smile. Damn Lizbet. Ryan never liked her. "You should get some rest. I'm sure your parents will be calling on the room phone shortly and I suggest you answer. Then it's dinner at 6:30." Dr. Cox frowned before leaving. "I'm going to talk to Dr. Janusko tomorrow about your muscle spasms. Tomorrow it's back to business. I'm letting you off easy this time, Ryan. Do not let it happen again." He left, leaving Ryan cell phone-less, but gratefully amazed.

-------------

As soon as the doctor left, Jackson came in, as if he was waiting outside the door.

"So? Tell me. What did Cox say? Did he go all _Scrubs _on you?" Jackson was eager for the news.

"Actually, he was kinda normal…he told me not to let it happen again. But listen to this…Sandy and Kirsten made him take my phone and I can't do any rec for a week. And, thanks to fucking Lizbet, I have to clean up after your dinner tonight." Ryan was angry at his punishments.

Jackson laughed. "_My _dinner? Dude I'm right there with you. They broke my plan and I got Lizbet'd too, which by the way, was a brilliant plan, but _someone_ didn't answer their phone even though a certain other someone called it three times! Seth even put 'Bad Boys' as the ringtone! It was a cue." Jackson was just realizing now how stupid that sounded.

"'Bad Boys'? Really? You and Seth chose _that _song? And who changes a ring tone without telling them? When did he even take my phone? And that's probably why I didn't answer if I didn't even know that was my ringtone. _'Bad Boys'?_" Ryan laughed it was like having Seth 24/7.

"So do you want to hear the plan or not?" Jackson pushed himself closer to Ryan.

"Fine. Lay it on me." Ryan knew he'd hear it anyways.

"Ok, so when Gloria came in this morning to give you your medication, I had the curtain pulled around your empty bed and told her you didn't feel good and you were going to sleep a little longer. You owe me big time, man. It's hard to control someone with just words when you can't get up to stop her. But, I am one of a kind. So that bought us like 2 hours. Then when Gloria came again 'we' were both playing basketball with everyone, who, by the way, were all in on the plan. There's ten of us on the wing so I don't think they really noticed you not in the cafeteria, sorry. But then Janusko came to check on you, and Stu and I told him you were in Caleb's room who told him that you were with Adam in the gym. Janusko gave up then. That bought us until, like, three hours before you came home. Then Darlene came in to give you your medication after seeing it not marked off from the morning. I was in Adam and James's room when she came in here and then it kinda unraveled. I convinced them not to get the guys in trouble, though. I called you when I heard them talking in the hallway. Some how they traced it to me, and well…Cox is pretty persuasive. And he threatened me with more dishes. This better have been some party, man. Marissa told you it was her idea? Your little rendezvous better have been worth it." Jackson was now realizing how much Ryan owed him for the plan.

"It was totally worth it, actually—" Before Ryan could continue, the phone rang.

"That's gotta be Kirsten…dude, turn the speaker volume all the way up and put it on the table. I've gotta hear this," Jackson laughed. "Remember, you owe me."

"Fine. Here goes." Ryan pushed the button on the phone until it reached max volume. "Hello?" Ryan answered, as if he wasn't expecting anyone to call. He set the phone on the nightstand.

"Ryan?" It was Kirsten.

"Hi, Kirsten. Uh, we made it back." Ryan shrugged at his roommate.

"Ryan! Do you know that I got a call from Dr. Cox a little while ago! Seth and Luke got you without telling the doctor?! How could you be so irresponsible?" Kirsten continued on and on. Jackson was laughing and it was hard to keep his voice muffled. Ryan was smiling. It was funny to be scolded on the phone.

Just then, Tyler came in and Jackson immediately silenced him. Tyler, Jackson, and Ryan listened to Kirsten's raving and it got even funnier when Sandy picked up the line so he was yelling at the same time. The conversation was mostly one-sided with Ryan adding in the appropriate, 'I know' and 'I'm sorry' lines and the occasional, 'I'll never listen to Seth again.' Despite his long distance, verbal punishment, Ryan began to think that it had been a great day.

Then he heard it: "Atwood, Turner! Cafeteria. Now!" Lizbet's voice traveled loudly through the room. Ryan and Jackson shook their heads and made their way down the hall.


	11. Chapter 11

Heading For Disaster Chapter 11

Obvious FYI: I don't own anything that even remotely has to do with the O.C.!

--Thank you for the reviews! I really appreciate it!

-------------

The week at Fisher without recreation or his cell phone was one of the longest weeks of Ryan's life. The good thing that came out of the punishment, however, was Ryan's time for physical improvement. The Tuesday after the party, an orthopedist came in during Ryan's morning PT session and measured him for leg braces. Ryan was getting stronger and soon Bruce and Kathy were going to try and put him on the parallel bars.

The biggest orthopedic problem that Ryan was suffering from as of late was the little movement in his ankles. He was able to wiggle his toes, as that was the first place he had sensation in at HOAG, and with difficulty, he could contract his calves, but he had very little range in ankle mobility. This was very frustrating to Ryan, especially after the seemingly endless exercises to improve his flexion. Therefore, if he was to walk, he would need braces to keep his feet straight and upright and not flop on the floor. Ryan's knees also tended to knock when he got tired and the braces would help this as well.

Another highlight for Ryan was the elimination of the seatbelt on his wheelchair. His core stability was improving greatly and he had been working hard to adapt his arm and upper back strength to aid in his posture.

However, along with his successes came setbacks. PT and OT sessions were painful and exhausting for Ryan. Especially during his "punishment week" where he had no outlet, Ryan would lay in bed frustrated and listen to his iPod, occasionally with tears in his eyes. Patients with an injury at or higher than Ryan's were prone to heart complications, and much to his annoyance and occasional embarrassment, Ryan would experience shortness of breath during PT and his heart rate and blood pressure would have to be taken. Although this rarely happened, it would make Ryan lose his focus and the therapy session would have little effect.

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Saturday afternoon, Jackson came in his room to find Ryan laying on top of the sheets again.

"Hey, Ry, man what's going on?" Jackson asked seriously. "You've been kinda depressed lately."

"I'm fine," Ryan answered, still not looking at his roommate.

"Ryan. You're far from fine. I've known you long enough. What's up?"

Ryan sighed, but still didn't look at his roommate.

"Jackson, when I say this, I want you to know that I get how lucky I am to be able to walk some day, ok? I'm really grateful. You know that, right?" Ryan didn't want to make Jackson angry.

"Yah, man. We all know that. Go on," Jackson prompted.

"I hate being here. It's not you or the guys, it's the whole thing. There were three of us going for that head ball and I'm the one waking up fucking paralyzed. I know I'm making progress, but I can't move my ankles, and if I can't move my fucking ankles, I can't walk. I have to get leg braces. I'm behind at school, I can't see my friends from Newport, I don't even know if my friends from Chino know about this, my mom is probably arrested by now, and Marissa…well, you know. Where am I supposed to put that? I can't tell Nina because she'll go all psychiatrist on me and I'm not telling Seth. I didn't want to burden you with anything. It sucks to have potential when you can't get there!" Ryan had tears in his eyes for what felt like the millionth time that month.

Jackson was quiet for a minute. "Look, man. When you get the braces, you'll be able to walk. And who's going to make fun of you here, we're all cripples. Caleb still wears his back brace. No one makes fun of him…any more. You'll feel better when you can walk." Jackson looked at Ryan and saw him nod.

"How can you be so positive, Jackson? You're always telling me it'll be ok. Don't you ever want to throw it in?" Ryan didn't care how unmanly he felt now. He could always talk to Jackson.

"I never told you this, but I cry every time I'm with Nina. It took me a while to get where I am now. I was bad before I came to Fisher. I keep it together out here because nothing good will come of me breaking down to you. I'm just glad I was wearing a helmet…" Ryan and Jackson seldom talked about Jackson's accident. He was car surfing with his friends one night when his skateboard broke. Jackson fell on his back and severed his spinal cord at T9/T10. His best friend Shaye was driving the car at the time, and the police had no choice but to charge Shaye with 'driving to endanger.' It was a huge uproar in the small town. Jackson's mother even spoke on Shaye's behalf twice in court, but the teen ended up doing one month jail time and was ordered by the judge to make a presentation on spinal cord injuries. Shaye would never stop feeling overwhelmingly guilty about that day.

Ryan nodded, closing his eyes. Why was everything so messed up? There was a long pause before Jackson spoke.

"As for your Chino posse," Jackson was smiling again. "Why don't you ask Seth to call them? I'm sure Sandy has Trey's number. Maybe he already called him. Maybe you have a voicemail on the phone that you don't have because you didn't pick up when I called you at the party last week." Jackson joked. He mentioned the busted plan as often as he could.

Ryan laughed, his eyes still closed. He felt lucky to have Jackson as his roommate.

"As for Marissa," Jackson began slowly. Ryan opened one eye to look at him. "It's been, what, four weeks since the accident?" Jackson continued after seeing Ryan's confirmation nod. "Seth told me that she's planning to surprise you on Saturday. Sorry, had to tell you. Just talk to her, hear her out again. You don't have to totally forgive her, I know what she did and I'd be rip shit if she did that to me, but just hear her out. It's nice to have her care, Ryan. But girls are psycho, you know that. I don't have to drive you crazy with my stories about Wild Wendy again, but at least know that you're not alone. At least Marissa still tries. You know that the guys I was with that night stopped talking to me and even Lee, too? It's hard for them to have a friend who's a para I guess. But Marissa's still there, Ryan. Keep that in mind." Jackson paused.

Ryan was staring at the ceiling. It was true that Ryan's friends still cared for him despite his handicap. Many of Jackson's friends grew apart which Jackson seemed to be dealing with. Ryan would get through it with Jackson's help. He'd be ok.

"I've got OT now, but I'll be back later. You'll be ok, man. Just look at that board Summer made for you. You've got friends, bro and you've got me, ok? Obviously I'm not going anywhere faster than 5 miles an hour. See ya, Forest Gump." Jackson wheeled out of the room. It took Ryan a little while to process the comment. Oh ya, leg braces tomorrow.

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Ryan went down to PT at 9 the next morning and met the orthopedist who was waiting for him with the braces. Ryan was mortified when he saw what he had to wear. The braces encased his feet and were hard, white plastic all the way around his heals and calves. At his knees, the plastic met black metal and cloth which velcroed below and above as well as on the outside and inside of his knee caps. The braces continued up with hard metal until his hips where they velcroed once again. His whole leg was covered. His ankle was stuck in a flexed position and his knees were allowed a small range of extension. They braces were heavy and ugly, but they would make him walk.

After nearly 45 minutes of adjusting the braces, Bruce and Kathy were ready to try Ryan on the parallel bars. Ryan wheeled himself over and let the therapists position themselves. Kathy was to hold onto Ryan's safety belt again and support him from behind. Bruce was literally going to pick up Ryan's feet one at a time and help him make his way down the bars. Kim was going to follow with the wheelchair which fit between the bars. The goal was four steps.

After everyone was in place and Ryan was thoroughly versed on the instructions and Bruce's 'rules' of falling and pain, Ryan was ready to begin. Unbeknownst to Ryan, Jackson had gathered all the guys to watch. Jackson had the camera Kirsten gave him for this exact moment.

"Ok, Ryan. You've got this. Starting slow. Slide to the front of the wheelchair first. Good. Hands on the arm rests, that's right." Bruce coached him through. Ryan could feel Kathy on his right side, holding the belt already. "Ok, on your go, push up." Ryan pushed himself into a standing position and grabbed the bars. Bruce let go his initial hold on Ryan's legs and let the boy stand alone.

Ryan was nervous. He began to sweat and could feel his arms beginning to shake. He tried to will them to stop as he concentrated on the next move.

"Here we go, Ryan. I'm going to pick up your right foot first. Ready?"

"Just go." Ryan said, staring straight ahead as Bruce instructed.

Bruce picked up Ryan's right foot, then set it down and repeated the movement with the left. Ryan moved his hands accordingly. "You doing ok?" He asked before continuing. Ryan nodded. Bruce continued until they reached the goal of the four steps. By that time, Ryan's arms were ready to give out and he exhaustedly allowed Bruce and Kathy to lower him into the chair.

Everyone cheered. Jackson came up to Ryan and hi-fived him. Ryan felt even better than he had when he first stood up. Even though his legs weren't moving under his control, it felt so good to be ambulatory.

The group went up only once more because Ryan's arms began to shake and his legs were painful. Although he was ecstatic to walk again, he was maybe even more angry at the difficulty and frustration it manifested. Kathy assured him that he was doing great and that progress will come with time. Ryan was sick of that phrase. How many times had he heard it? He was beginning to believe it was a lie.

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Ryan was too tired to go to lunch and he decided to take a nap instead of accompany an understanding Jackson to the cafeteria. Ryan couldn't get comfortable in the bed. Everything hurt. His ankles were on fire and his back was more sore than usual and began to twitch. What bothered Ryan the most was his head. It was throbbing and he couldn't wait to take his medication in a few hours. Finally he fell into a restless sleep.

After lunch, Jackson returned to the room to find his roommate asleep. Jackson decided to follow suit and got into his own bed not to be awaken a few minutes later to harsh breathing.

"Ryan?" Jackson leaned over to get a better view of his roommate. Ryan was sweating and his eyes were shut and contorted with pain and his respirations were fast. "Hold on, man!" Jackson pushed the nurses' call button.

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Sorry for the cliffhanger…the story is almost done…thanks for reading so much!


	12. Chapter 12

Heading For Disaster Chapter 12

Obvious FYI: I don't own anything that even remotely has to do with the O.C.!

--Thank you for the reviews! I really appreciate it!

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"Yah, you've gotta come in here," Jackson pretty much yelled into the call pad. If the nurses didn't hear him through the monitor they'd hear his voice echo in the hall. "Ryan's in a lot of pain!"

Dr. Janusko and a nurse Amanda came running into the room.

"Ryan? What's wrong?" the doctor rushed up to his patient upon seeing the teen's pale and diaphoretic face. Amanda began to take Ryan's pulse.

"Hurts!" was all Ryan could offer in between gasps and moans. Jackson got out of bed and into his wheelchair.

"Where, Ryan?" Dr. Janusko pressed. Amanda mumbled Ryan's pulse at 140. She began to take his temperature in his ear.

"Legs! Back! Head where…hit…where…" he couldn't finish the sentence.

"How bad? One to ten?" Dr. Janusko was looking at Ryan's pupils which were dilated. Amanda reported the fever to be 102.8 as she smoothed her patient's hair.

"Ten! Ten, please…" he began to tear. Ryan never imagined pain like this. All the fights he'd been in and the 'accidents' he experienced in his childhood never amounted to any of this, combined. His breathing became excessively labored and his hands began to shake. Dr. Janusko ordered medication and Amanda ran out to get it from the supply counter. As she was leaving, Ryan began to vomit. The doctor turned him on his side. When he was done heaving and was once again on his back, Jackson patted Ryan's arm.

"Take it easy, bro. You're ok." It was good to hear Jackson's voice.

Amanda returned with the dosage and immediately swabbed and stuck Ryan. His breathing lessened but his hands still quaked. Soon he passed out.

It took a little while to get Ryan's bed cleaned up. He was put on a gurney while the bed was changed and Jackson got new clothes out of Ryan's drawer. Ryan was in a deep sleep from pain, exhaustion, and medication.

Amanda looked at Jackson as she was leaving. The boy looked terrified at what he just saw. Amanda offered comfort.

"He'll be ok, hon. Don't worry. We'll watch his fever and he'll be fine in no time." She smiled but Jackson didn't look up, he kept staring at Ryan who looked in pain even as he slept.

"I guess having sensation isn't so good when all you feel is pain," Jackson remarked quietly.

"His body's just worn out. It was a big day for him. Just let him sleep." Amanda patted Jackson's shoulder as she left.

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Ryan was woken up by Gloria the night nurse for his dinner and medication. She had to try very hard to get him to eat anything, and within minutes of 'finishing' his dinner, Ryan fell right back asleep and slept through the night.

The next morning was Saturday, and when Jackson awoke, he found his roommate in the same position as he was in when he fell asleep. Jackson got dressed and went over to see his roommate. Something didn't look right. Jackson wasn't a doctor, but even he could tell that Ryan's appearance was off.

Ryan was sweating again but had goose bumps. A little patch of red skin was apparent at the base of Ryan's neck, just below the hairline. Should he wake him up? Just as he was about to get Amanda, Tyler came in as loud as usual.

"Hey, man, basketball. Rooms 200-205 vs. 206 to 210. Your ass is mine this time. What?" Tyler said as he looked at Jackson who barely acknowledged his friend's entrance.

"Tyler, go get Amanda," Jackson ordered as he went closer to his roommate.

"Why? What's wrong?" Tyler came closer to Ryan as well. He could see how sick Ryan looked and was curious. Jackson gave him a quick version of the night's activities and shooed Tyler out the door. Not a minute later did Amanda come running in.

"Ryan? Boys, what's wrong?" Amanda noticed their scared faces as she began to take Ryan's blood pressure. She was so alarmed by the systolic elevation that she inflated the cuff again and started over. After getting the same insane reading, she ran to the computer and paged Dr. Janusko at once.

As the doctor was on his way in, Amanda was moving the bed up and tried to wake Ryan. She wiped the sweat-stained hair out of his eyes as he was starting to come around.

"Amanda? What's wrong? Boys," the doctor turned to Jackson and Tyler. "You need to leave." He continued without a thought. The teens left the room and went to tell their friends the news.

"Ryan? Ryan are you in pain anywhere?" the doctor was checking Ryan's pupils as Amanda was listening to Ryan's heartbeat. Ryan began to cry.

"Head! Legs!" he moaned. Dr. Janusko signaled for Amanda to get Dr. Cox who came running in to consult on the sickness.

The head of the bed was fully elevated and the doctors were poking and prodding Ryan and checking the rest of his neck for the growing rash. Putting the symptoms together, Dr. Cox trailed off.

"What are you thinking? Autonomic…" he began

"Yup. Hyperreflexia…you see the BP? We need to get him to General. Amanda, how long has he been off the catheter?" Dr. Janusko's mind was turning.

Amanda quickly looked at her chart and noted that it was almost three weeks that Ryan was going to the bathroom himself.

"Amanda, call an ambulance. We're taking him across the street. We don't have the drugs here," Dr. Cox ordered his nurse. She ran to the phone and dialed out. Luckily San Diego General Hospital was right across the street and Ryan would receive immediate attention in no time.

"Ryan? Dr. Janusko began. Ryan we're going to take you to the hospital. You're very sick. How is your headache?" the doctor looked at Ryan's pupils again, happy to see their normal appearance.

"Hurts! We're at a hospital…why am I…" Ryan was getting out of breath. The doctor just soothed his patient and got a cold towel from the bathroom.

Soon the paramedics arrived. All the boys on the East Wing had overheard the story somehow and lined the hallways as they saw Ryan being rushed towards the ambulance. The paramedics were talking to Ryan but were getting no response.

Ryan was seated upright on the gurney the whole time, and now he began to stare into space. The paramedics had trouble getting Ryan back to reality as they stuck IV's. Finally, as he was whisked through the hospital doors, Ryan started to snap back into consciousness and pain.

In the emergency room, there were four doctors and three nurses working on Ryan. Students also flooded the room, having never seen a case of Hyperreflexia. Luckily, San Diego General specialized in spinal cord injury, as they were in conjunction with Fisher, and were well versed on the plan of action.

Ryan was quickly injected with multiple medications and was set up to almost every machine the emergency room had. His blood pressure finally begin to lessen and his heartbeat slowed a bit from the medication, but the doctors were still trying to find the cause of the illness.

"Ryan? What else hurts besides your head?" one doctor asked, as he prodded all over Ryan's torso.

"Legs," Ryan gasped. The doctors had pulled Ryan's chart from the linked data base and understood his incomplete injury and were not surprised that the kid had feeling despite his paralysis.

"Where on them? The whole thing?" another doctor asked as the team transferred its hunt to Ryan's lower body.

"Ankles! My left one especially!" he began to gasp again as the memory brought pain.

"Get x-ray in here! I want a picture of both ankles!" a third doctor ordered.

Soon multiple films were taken of Ryan's ankles and about twenty people were trying to read the pictures on the light board, all so sorry but excited to witness this incident.

"Look at that!" the first doctor pointed to an abnormality on Ryan's left ankle x-ray.

"Right on the navicular. See it? That's gotta be the source." The team rushed back to Ryan and prodded again.

"Ryan which hurts more, when I press here," one doctor pushed Ryan's foot near his toes. "Or when I touch here," he pushed an area high on Ryan's ankle.

"The second one! Please don't do that again!" Ryan cried, but the doctors were satisfied.

"Ryan you've got a bone spur right on your ankle. We're going to inject this to try to decrease the inflammation. You'll feel better soon." The doctors were happy they found the source.

The whole room clapped for the team as they saw improvement in Ryan. One nurse went to call the emergency contact number on the records when another nurse went to record the incident. Hyperreflexia was rare, but not unheard of for someone at Ryan's injury site.

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Ryan was transferred to a regular room, but the staff kept a close eye on him. He had about five IV's started and the bed was still upright. Ryan was dozing when Kirsten ran in nearly three hours later.

"Oh my God, Ryan. Ryan are you ok?" She ran up to her son and smoothed his hair. Sandy and Seth followed, running as well.

"Ryan? Kid, how are you?" Sandy rushed up to the bed.

Seth stayed back, too stunned to talk.

"I'm fine, just tired and my neck is sore," Ryan admitted.

"They said you had Hyperreflexia? The nurse briefly told me. Honey I'm so sorry." Kirsten hugged Ryan, careful of the IV's.

"Yah. I guess. I guess it was waiting to surface…signals to my brain still take a while and the bone spur finally was enough to make my body go crazy." Ryan was tired and didn't want to explain. Seth jumped in.

"I looked it up on Wikipedia on my phone on the way here. Oh the power of a 3G network. Apparently, Ryan," Seth was reading off the tiny webpage from his cell phone. "Apparently your bone spurs finally sent a really high pain stimulus to your brain, but got caught at the T4/T5 site with your injury, making all your glands go haywire. You had vaso…vasodial?" Seth was having a hard time pronouncing.

"Vasodialation, Seth," Ryan corrected. "Just my heart went out of control and my body couldn't stop the blood flow, ok? My central nervous system's still out of whack. I already know everything. I'll tell you more later. My blood pressure was off the chart I guess…can we please talk about this later? I just want to sleep." Ryan closed his eyes again.

"Sure, honey. We'll be right here," Kirsten patted his hand.

"Everyone wants to sit next to the guy with Hyperreflexia. They've reported you, you know. This hospital's getting some kind of recognition for their 'quick thinking' and 'life-saving knowledge.' I'm proud to know someone with a publication." Seth laughed and closed his eyes as well.

Kirsten looked at Ryan. He was finally in a peaceful sleep. She prayed again, this time a thankful prayer. She knew Ryan would be ok. Given time, the whole nightmare would be over.


	13. Chapter 13

Heading For Disaster Chapter 13

Obvious FYI: I don't own anything that even remotely has to do with the O.C.!

Thank you for the reviews! I really appreciate it!

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Ryan slept the rest of the afternoon and was beginning to rouse just as Marissa walked in. The Cohens were still in their same spots, but got up to leave when they saw the girlfriend enter.

"We'll be right back," Kirsten said, patting Ryan's hand. She smiled at Marissa who returned the gesture.

"Hey," Ryan initiated with a tired yet appreciative voice.

"Hey," Marissa replied, sitting on the bed, studying her boyfriend. Seth had explained to her as much as he could about the day's events and Marissa drove as fast as she could to San Diego General Hospital. "How are you feeling? That must have been pretty scary."

"I'm better. You didn't have to come all the way out here," Ryan replied, but he was secretly happy she made the trip. Jackson's words were playing in his mind, 'at least she's still there.'

"Of course I did. I wanted to. You're my boyfriend and I'm your girlfriend. That's what people in relationships do. They're there for each other. I'm here for you, and I'm not going anywhere, so get used to it," she smiled and kissed his cheek. Ryan pulled her into a one-armed hug.

"You're still here," he said quietly. Marissa wasn't sure she understood, but nodded.

"Scoot over," Marissa nudged Ryan to the other side of the bed as she climbed under the covers with him. They laid there for a minute before Marissa spoke again. "It's going to be good, you know, when you get out of here. Not just here, but out of the rehab place and back home. Things are going to be fine, just you wait."

"I know. It'll be a while." Ryan's view on the time situation still hadn't changed.

"Yah, but you're doing great. And besides," Marissa sat up to look at Ryan. "I've been reading up on spinal cord injuries…and, uh, there's no impairment up here," she gently ran her finger down his lips. "Or down here." Marissa's hand slowly made its way down Ryan's hospital gown and touched his lap.

Ryan smiled and closed his eyes at her touch. _Nope. Defiantly not down there. _

Marissa bent down and gave Ryan a slow, but brief kiss on the lips and looked at him. He smiled at her and softly grabbed the back of her neck and pulled her into a passionate kiss. Marissa later settled into Ryan's shoulder and they fell asleep together.

Ryan stayed sleeping for the rest of the day, and when he woke up, it was dark out. He noticed that Marissa was gone, but her perfume still smelled on the pillow and he closed his eyes again, taking in the scent. He couldn't help but think that maybe things might be ok.

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The next morning, Jackson and Tyler planned to go visit Ryan across the street. They had worked it out with Amanda that she'd walk them to the hospital and they were to come back specifically with a nurse from San Diego General. After clearing it with the doctors and other staff, the boys made their way to the lobby where Seth was meeting them.

Jackson and Tyler hadn't been in 'public' since they both arrived at Fisher over a month ago and neither was used to the looks they were receiving from bystanders, no matter how often it was addressed in group therapy at Fisher. Everyone could tell that the boys weren't in hospital wheelchairs and sight of the two of them together made everyone stare. It was worse, Jackson decided, when people purposely didn't look at the boys. It was more noticeable somehow than the strange looks and made the boys feel ignored and more abnormal. Tyler sighed and remarked to his friend that they'd just have to get used to it.

"Hey, guys!" Seth called from across the hall. "Thanks for coming…he's up stairs." The three headed for the elevator.

"How's he doing?" Jackson asked, anxious to hear about his roommate's health.

"Better. The fever's gone but he still has a little headache. And, uh…I saw him and Marissa kissing yesterday," Seth laughed as he pressed the third floor button in the elevator.

Tyler laughed. "Lucky bastard. Maybe I'll get sick and someone would come kiss me."

The boys found Ryan's room and entered quietly, and were happy to see Ryan awake and talking to Sandy.

"Hey, boys!" Sandy said as he stood up and made room for Jackson and Tyler to come near the bed.

Ryan laughed in disbelief. "What are you guys doing here?"

"We came to make sure you're still alive. Last time I saw you, you were crying!" Jackson teased.

"Yah, and plus I didn't want to miss out on a time where I can move more than you," Tyler added. Everyone laughed.

Seth, Ryan, Jackson, and Tyler stayed and talked for a few more hours before a nurse came in to take Jackson and Tyler back to Fisher. After saying goodbye, Ryan fell asleep.

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Ryan returned to Fisher on Wednesday, but wasn't cleared for PT until the next Monday, giving both his body and his ankle a rest. He spent his time doing some light OT and multiple doctor visits and sessions with Nina.

Finally, on Monday, Ryan had the all clear to try the parallel bars again. This time, Ryan was going to move himself. Kathy and Kim were in the same positions as last attempt, and Bruce was in front of Ryan, walking backwards as one hand hovered around Ryan's chest and the other near Ryan's abdomen. Ryan's leg braces were on and he was ready to go. Stu and Adam were also in PT at the same time and they turned to see their friend.

"Ready, Ryan? You remember what I said? We're going for four steps. You all set?" Bruce was awaiting Ryan's confirmation.

"Just do it," Ryan stared straight ahead.

To Ryan's amazement, walking was easier than he thought. Maybe it was the incredible amount of therapy hours he put in during the past six weeks or perhaps newly instilled confidence, but whatever it was, Ryan was walking upright on his own.

As Bruce and Kathy eased him back into the wheelchair, Kathy exclaimed, "Ryan, you did it! Good job! How do you feel?"

Ryan replied with a genuine smile. "Great."

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Ryan continued to improve his walking. A week later, the PT's decided that Ryan was ready to use a walker and once again, Jackson had Kirsten's camera. The walker was much harder to use than the parallel bars because it was considerably less stable. The same three, Bruce, Kathy, and Kim, were in the same positions as the first time Ryan walked on the parallel bars, Bruce moving Ryan's feet for him. It was awesome.

Ryan walked with the walker alone one week after that. He was exhausted that week, but kept going strong, the end in sight.

Jackson left Fisher a week before Ryan did. It was a sad day to see his friend leave, but Jackson was happy to be with his family. Shaye even came down with Lee so take him home.

The night before he left, Ryan got a new roommate Jesse. As Ryan was getting ready to sleep, he saw the poor kid struggling to get into bed and it brought back memories of Ryan's first night at Fisher. He wanted to help him, just as Jackson did those eight weeks earlier.

"Jesse," Ryan said seriously which made Jesse listen. "You're not the type to ask for help, are you?" Jesse didn't deny it. "That's gotta change, man. You just need to get used to it. It'll get better. Trust me."

"I know. I know," Jesse sighed and pushed the nurses' call button.

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Longer epilogue to follow! Thanks for reading!


	14. Chapter 14

Heading For Disaster Chapter Epilogue

Obvious FYI: I don't own anything that even remotely has to do with the O.C.!

--Thank you for the reviews! I really appreciate it!

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"Alright, cripple, lets get your cane and blow this popsicle stand!" Seth came running into Ryan's room. Ryan was being discharged and was looking forward to relaxing in his own bed for the first time in over two months. He smiled at Seth's comment and lifted himself up slowly. Ryan still had balance issues and would be continuing with outpatient rehab twice a week back in Newport. He walked slowly with a cane and couldn't go very fast or long before his legs would wobble. But, Ryan decided, that was a small price to pay for the ability to walk. Besides, everyone said his balance would improve with time.

"So where is everyone?" Ryan said to Seth as Sandy was signing the discharge papers. "They all said they'd be here…I thought Kirsten would go crazy with the camera or something."

"Oh, it's not their fault," Seth said absentmindedly as he gathered up the rest of Ryan's things and slung the backpack over his shoulder. "Dad's got the camera and the nurses have the balloons. Everyone's at home setting up for your surprise party." Seth realized what he said. "Oh, uh…promise me you'll act surprised…Mom really didn't want me to come with Dad for that exact reason. _Shit. _While we're waiting for Dad, lets practice your happily unsuspecting face."

"No way, Seth. I'm telling Kirsten about how you ruined the surprise and my day and that we're never speaking again." Ryan teased Seth who actually looked hurt. "Kidding. Sorry. Sarcasm. I promise I'll act surprised. Nothing will annoy me today," Ryan finished with a smile.

Just then, Sandy walked in with two nurses in tow. "You all set, Kid?" Sandy was beaming. He handed the camera to Amanda who gladly took a picture of Ryan, Seth, and Sandy next to Ryan's hospital bed. Then one of Ryan alone. Then one of Seth and Ryan. Then one of them two with the balloons. Then one of Ryan alone with the balloons. The whole time, Gloria was reading off of Kirsten's picture list, making sure they got everything she wanted. Sandy could hear Kirsten's last words to him: _I have a huge memory card so take as many as possible! _Once the list labeled _bedroom _was crossed off, the group moved outside and the same round of pictures began next to the Fisher sign.

As Sandy, Seth, and Ryan were walking out, all of the nurses and doctors as well as Bruce, Kathy, Kim, Jessica and Beverly the OT's, and the rest of Ryan's friends all were out in the hallway clapping for him. Sandy thought Ryan would be mortified and was surprised when the teen smiled bigger than Sandy had ever seen. It was going to be a great day.

The three got in the car, with Ryan in the front with the seat pushed all the way back so he could stretch his legs. The doctor told them to stop half way home so that Ryan could walk around a bit. Getting used to walking again was the most important thing. However for Ryan, it was the most embarrassing thing. As soon as the family exited the car at a rest stop, Ryan could feel the whole parking lot looking at him. He still had leg braces, although not anywhere near as complex as the ones he had last month, and he was walking slowly with a cane—not a sight usually associated with a sixteen year old boy. After helping Ryan once around a picnic table, Sandy guided Ryan back into the car.

"You're doing great, Kid. Don't worry about anyone else," he said as he gave Ryan a squeeze on his shoulders.

The BMW finally pulled into the driveway and Seth ran around the side to help his brother out of the car. Ryan allowed Seth to guide him to the doorway, but Ryan insisted on entering the house himself. As soon as he pushed open the door, he was ecstatic for the second time that day when he saw his 'surprise' party.

"Surprise!!" came a huge uproar as Ryan walked into the house. Kirsten jumped at Ryan right away and hugged him so tightly that Ryan dropped his cane. She helped him walk over to the couch to rest and the whole guest list flooded the rest of the living room. It seemed like the whole town turned out for the party, even Ryan's friends from Chino. And, was that Caleb Nicol? And the Coopers? Kirsten even said that Trey was going to be calling at exactly 4pm. Ryan couldn't wait to talk to his brother.

To his surprise, around the corner came Tyler and Jackson. Tyler coincidentally lived two towns over and it was easy for him and his mother to make it to Newport and Lee had driven Jackson down for the party. Ryan was in disbelief.

"What are you guys doing here?" Ryan let out a small laugh.

"It was actually Seth's idea," Tyler said first. "I'm glad he invited us because this is the first time I've been out of the house except for the doctor," Tyler admitted.

"Yah same here. But, roomie, you're lucky you aren't in a wheelchair because your house isn't exactly cripple friendly," Jackson laughed as he pointed to the many stairs and narrow doorways. "We can't even see your famous pool house…thanks for having it so handicap accessible."

Ryan truly felt bad. "We'll I'm not going anywhere just yet. I'm cool with sitting on the couch," Ryan smiled. They were two of the best friends he'd ever had.

Ryan, Jackson, Tyler, Lee, Seth, Luke, Marissa, and Summer talked for the remainder of the party until the crowd began to fill out. Marissa was the last to leave, or so Ryan thought. After Ryan had talked to Trey for as long as the guards would allow, Kirsten had just finished getting Ryan settled in for a nap in the pool house when Ryan heard a soft knock and saw his girlfriend enter.

"Hey. I thought you'd left," Ryan said sitting up, surprised.

"Yah, I did…but then I came back," Marissa said as she slowly walked closer to the bed.

"What are you…" Ryan stopped talking when he was hushed by Marissa.

"You've been waiting too long for this," Marissa said slyly. She dropped the long overcoat she was wearing to reveal sexy, black laced matching bra and underwear. Ryan felt like he could feel every nerve ending in his body.

Seth was about to knock on the door when he saw the light go out and heard two voices giggle. Seth turned back towards the house and laughed to himself.

Sandy saw him. "Seth, what's wrong?"

"Nothing," Seth replied. "Absolutely nothing."

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"It's here!" Seth exclaimed as he ran through the house with the copy of Sunday's Orange County Daily News. Kirsten, Sandy, and Ryan joined him in the kitchen eleven months after the accident. "Look! Here you are!" Seth opened the paper to the _Local _section and began to read:

Ryan's Remarkable Recovery  
By Lorne Gharety  
Staff Writer

Newport, California—It was a quiet night, last October 5th when sixteen year old Ryan Atwood went down after a rough play during a soccer game at local private school Harbor Academy in Newport. Atwood was rushed to the hospital where doctors quickly discovered that he broke and dislocated two vertebrae on his back which were pinching on his spinal cord. Surgeons immediately operated on the teenager for over three hours to realign his spinal column and reduce the swelling, but the damage had left Atwood paralyzed from the chest down and doctors were unsure if he would walk again.

"I remember waking up on the soccer field and not understanding why I couldn't roll over," Atwood, now 17, recalls. "It was the worst day of my life, waking up in the hospital when the doctors didn't know if I'd walk again."

Since that fateful day, Atwood has shown nothing short of a miracle. After a eight day stay at HOAG, Atwood was transferred to Fisher Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation Hospital in San Diego where he would begin his two month journey to recovery. He arrived having minimal sensation in his lower body and very little movement, but from his first day at Fisher, his care givers made it clear that there was only one goal, Ryan would walk out the doors. He was far from home, but close to a cure.

"It was hard having Ryan so far away," Sandy Cohen, Ryan's foster-father, remembers. "We tried to visit him as often as we could. We were just glad he was getting the help he needed."

That help included double sessions of both occupational therapy and physical therapy six days a week as well as peer and solo counseling sessions.

"It was exhausting, but I obviously owe the SCI team at Fisher everything," Atwood commented.

Slowly more and more feeling came back, and physical improvements were being see every day. By Halloween, Atwood was sitting up alone and was able to march his feet from a sitting position, a huge milestone. Ryan was receiving emotional support from the community as well.

"Everyone was so supportive of Ryan and our family," Kirsten Cohen, Ryan's foster-mother, remarked. "The help he had from so many people in many different ways kept him focused on his goal. He needed to call on his reserves a few times, but someone was always there to keep him on track."

There was one break in the tracks, however, when five weeks into the nightmare did Atwood develop a rare, potentially life-threatening disease called Autonomic Dysreflexia, also known as Hyperreflexia. Autonomic Dysreflexia can be triggered by many stimuli below the level of injury attempting to go back to the brain in an SCI patient. These afferent signals can cause a reaction causing sympathetic nervous system activated vasoconstriction thus dangerously elevated blood pressure. Atwood also experienced a severe headache, goosebumps, and a rash, all signs of AD. Luckily San Diego General Hospital is right across the street from Fisher and Atwood was rushed to the emergency department where he was expertly taken care of.

Following the scare, Atwood continued to improve. He walked with the help of physical therapists, leg braces, and parallel bars (below, left) soon after his return and it was only a few weeks later that Atwood tackled a walker (below, right). His next step was walking.

"I got to go back home to Newport for Thanksgiving," Atwood recalls. "That was a great break. I got to see everyone I know and I returned to Fisher anxious to finish my recovery." That wish came true. Fifty-seven days after he lay motionless on the soccer field, Ryan Atwood walked again.

When he was released from Fisher, he walked with a cane and had some balance issues, but after three months of outpatient physical therapy, Atwood was walking as close to normal as he would ever be. He takes with him today only small ankle braces as the only physical reminders of those terrible two months.

Tonight, under the watchful eyes of his doctors and parents, Atwood takes the field once again at Harbor's soccer season opener. "I can't wait to play. I'm excited to play the sport again and be with my teammates. This is what I've been working for this whole year. They [the doctors] will only let me play for a little while, but I'll take what I can get. I lose my balance if I'm active for too long, so I'll be careful. I'm a little nervous and I'm sure I'll be more cautious than I was, but I was given an opportunity to play again, and I'm going to make the most of it," Atwood stated.

Atwood returned to Harbor with his foster-brother Seth Cohen, also now 17, in January following winter break. Atwood praises Fisher for his outstanding recovery.

"Fisher literally saved my life. I met a lot of people who I still stay in touch with. They all gave me my life back."

Atwood, who will graduate in June from Harbor, has made reality from uncertainty and possibility out of doubt. Not one year later, Ryan has truly made a remarkable recovery.

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So that's it! PLEASE tell me what you think! I'm a physical therapy student and with this round of clinicals winding down, I decided it was time to have some fun. All the medical info here is from what I've learned, read, or seen first hand and it was neat to put it all together. Thanks for the reviews and for reading all this, guys!


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